Pre Wedding Bengali Rituals

Here is provided information about pre wedding Bengali rituals:
Vridhi Puja

Vridhi puja is conducted a day before the wedding in the remembrance of the ancestors of the bride and groom. Beautiful Rangoli is made and Lord Narayan is worshipped.
Dodhi Mangal Ceremony

Dodhi Mangal is a ceremony in which ten married women bath the bride/groom. Thereafter, they feed the bride/groom. The yummy meal consists of macher laija bhaja (fried fish), jal dhala bhaja (rice cooked in water), curd and chiruya.
Wedding Piris

Beautifully decorated piris are used to seat the bride and groom comfortably. Exchange of gifts takes place between the two families.
Gae Halud Tattva Ritual

This ritual takes place before the turmeric ceremony. The groom’s parents send some gifts for the bride. It usually includes six saris with matching blouses and petticoats, cosmetics, fish, assorted sweets, curd, paan, dhaan and durba.
Snan

In late afternoon on the wedding day, a couple of married women apply the paste of turmeric and oil on the bride/groom’s hair and body. Thereafter, the bride/groom is given a new set of clothes that is gifted by his/her in-laws. The old worn clothes of the bride/groom are given away to the napti (barber).
Sankha Porana

After bathing and dressing up in a new sari, the bride wears the sankha poranas.
Dressing up the bride

The bride is ornamented with jewelry and crown. When she is fully dressed and ready to go to the mandap, her face is adorned with a design of mukut using the chandan paste.
Mandap

In the preparation of mandap, two banana trees are planted and rice paste is used to make a large alpana. The mandap is beautified with fresh flowers and flashy lights.