Wedding customs

Jats take pride as an equalitarian society where everyone enjoys an equal status irrespective of their financial position. Their customs resemble Vedic Aryans as boys and girls belonging to the same gotra never get married. Though Jats are keen to marry within the community, they never look for prospective bride or groom within the same village. Widow remarraige is encouraged in the Jat community. Elders are given due respect and their opinion is sought before proceeding with any proposal. The Jats revel in joint family system, though it is less prevalent today.

Pre-wedding rituals
The Jats conduct marriages in accordance with Vedic rituals. These rituals have evolved since traditional times. As the Jats attach a lot of importance to weddings, the ceremonies are very colourful and extend for several days.

Sagai: This ritual refers to the engagement ceremony and the period between engagement and actual marriage. Earlier, elders made decisions regarding the marriage and the selection criterion for the prospective bride or groom was their health status, family reputation, and the property they held by their family. However, this tradition is changing gradually.

Aguthi Pahanana: During engagement, the groom visits the bride's home along with family members and relatives and presents the bride with an engagement ring. The bride wears the ring on her left ring finger, indicating the formal agreement for marriage.

Bhat nutana: In this ritual, the maternal uncles of the bride and the groom are invited for the wedding a month before the marriage.

Ban baihana: Both families do a Ganesh puja ahead of the marriage, invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha for the peaceful conduct of the marriage.

Pithi lagana: In this ritual a paste made of grounded barley, turmeric and ghee is used as a fairness cream in the bride's family.

Banori: After the Ganesh puja, the bride and the groom do not take food at their home. Their first meal is served at the officiating priest's house. This is known as baman banori. Subsequent meals are served at close relative's house.

Ratijka: On the night prior to marriage all family members of the bride and the groom stay awake all night and sing songs, dance and worship deities.

Mehndi lagana: Ahead of the wedding, mehndi is applied on the bride's hand and feet and close relatives and friends gathered for the occasion also get their hands decorated.

Khichai: This function is held in the groom's family where all the relatives and villagers are invited for a feast with a dish made of rice and daal.

Chak Puja: The worship of potter's wheel is an important ritual for Jats. They commence all marriage preparations only after praying to the potter's wheel.

Barat nikasi: This ritual refers to the departure of the groom to the mantap in a procession. The groom rides a decorated horse to the wedding venue. In this colourful and grand ceremony, the groom is dressed in a sherwani (long jacket) and churidar. He wears a 'safa' (turban) with a 'kalgi' (brooch) pinned on to it. Before he departs all his relatives apply the ceremonial 'tilak' on his forehead. Relatives and friends dance in front of the barat to the rhythm of North Indian dholak.

Wedding rituals
Chawal chahana: Ahead of the wedding, a rice offering is made to all the deities as rice is a symbol of prosperity.

Seha: The ceremonial welcome accorded to the bridegroom's baraat as they reach the wedding venue is called Seha.

Toran: On arrival of the baraat, a symbol of victory is placed on the door of the bride. The bridegroom touches it with his sword or a neem or Zhaadi stick.

Varmala: After the initial reception, the groom is led to a stage where he is showered with flowers by the bride. Following this, the groom and bride exchange garlands, known as Varmala, signifying their acceptance of each other as husband and wife.

Then, the groom's mother-in-law measures the groom's chest, and pokes and prods him to make sure he is tough enough to defend her daughter. She than applies kajal on the groom to ward off evil spirits. This is followed by aarti.

Hathlewa: In this ritual, the groom and the bride are led to the wedding mandap, where the pandit does a puja to Lord Ganesha and puts a coin and mehndi on the groom's right hand and ties his hand with that of the bride's hand, symbolic of their coming together.

Gajoa: In this ritual, the priest ties the end of the groom's dhoti or the kurta; with that of the bride's saree, the knot signifying the sacred wedlock.

Phera: In this ceremony performed during marriage, the couple take a promise to stay together in front of the Agni devata.

Satphere: In this ritual the groom and the bride encircle the holy fire seven times, making seven promises to be fulfilled in the married life, after which they are considered to be 'married' to each other. This ritual is called "phere".

Kanya Dan: In this ritual the bride's father pours sacred water symbolizing the giving away of his daughter to the bride groom, in front of all the guests who have gathered for the wedding. The groom recites the vedic hymns to Lord Kama, the God of love, invoking his blessings for pure love and affection. As a condition for offering his daughter in marriage, the bride's father urges the groom to promise that he will help his wife to be in realizing three ends of dharma, artha and kama. The groom makes the promise by repeating three times that he will not fail the bride in realizing dharma, artha and kama.

Thapa lagana: An imprint of the bride's hand and the groom's hand in mehndi or haldi is made on the wall of their home.

Post-wedding rituals
Kanwar Kaleva: In this ceremony, after the wedding, a grand feast is offered to the groom's family members and friends by the bride's family.

Rangbari: In this ritual, all the new ornaments and clothes that were brought for the bride are put on display.

Samthui: This ritual is held to honour the guests who attended the marriage.

Dat: The bride's family presents utensils, clothes, ornaments etc to the bridegroom and his relatives.

Jhunwari: As guests begin to depart after the marriage, a tilak is applied on their forehead and they are bestowed with gifts.

Vidai: This is an emotional ritual where the bride leaves her parental home and reaches her husband's home. Family and friends shower her with blessings and gifts and send her off with a tearful farewell. The male members of the bride's family apply tilak on the groom's forehead and present him with gifts during the vidai.

Kanka Doraa: The sacred threads that are tied on the hands of bride and bridegroom in marriage are removed and put at the boundary of village, when the couple reaches their new home.

Dwar Rukai: After leaving the bride's house, the couple reach their new home. They are stopped at the entrance of the house by either the groom's sister or his aunt. In an earthen vessel, the sister/aunt uses a mixture of salt and water to ward off evil spirits from the groom and the bride and the pot is thrown on the ground and destroyed. After this, the couple enter the house.

Griha Pravesh: When the bride arrives at her new home, her mother-in-law welcomes her with the traditional Aarti. At the entrance, she puts her right foot on a tray of vermilion powder mixed in water or milk, symbolizing the arrival of good fortune and purity. With both her feet covered in the red paste, she kicks a vessel filled with rice and coins to denote the arrival of fertility and wealth in her new home.

Muh Dikhai: In this fun-filled ritual each member from the groom's family comes in turn to get acquainted with the new bride and offers her gifts.