Saturday 4 February 2012

Bidaai....



Gal lag ke bapu de,
Ro ro pij gaye kalire,
Mainu doli ch bithake tahan mar roye veere,
Khade gumn ma kahton kuj muhon kyon na bole,
Maye vekh vekh rovin,
Pichon vekh vekh rovin,
Mere gudiyan patole..


The Vidaai ritual marks the end of the wedding ceremony. It is very heart felt moment for the bride's family members, close relatives and friends. According to the ritual, bride should leave her father's home and go to the husband's home. It is a new beginning for a bride as she bids farewell to her parents and moves on to build a new life with her husband and his family. The bride's father gives her hand to her husband and blesses her for the successful life ahead. The ritual of Vidaai is marked as the most sorrowful and emotional moment of the wedding festivities. During this emotional moment, the saalis or sister-in-laws are gifted kalichari, which is a gold or silver (or cash) for returning the groom's shoes which were deliberately hidden by the sisters-in-law during wedding. Thus, in Vidaai, light banter and teasing (negotiation between groom and his new sisters-in-law) combine with emotions and tears.
Vidaai comprises of the rituals which are very essential and performed as an integral part of marriage. As she steps out of the doors, she throws back five handfuls of rice over her head as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. This ritual signifies that she is paying back whatever her parents have given her all these years. As she leaves in the car, bride's brothers and cousins push the car. This ritual signifies that bride's brothers help her to start a new life with her husband. After the car stars, money is thrown on the road to remove or discard the evil spirits.