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Explore Indian Weddings

India’s Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim communities each have their own distinctive marriage ceremonies and customs. For some excellent background information about these, explore the pages below from Tai Awatea | Knowledge Net (Te Papa’s online resource developed for exhibitions and objects). View the videos for some fascinating first-person accounts.

Hindu weddings | Sikh weddings | Muslim weddings | More info | Glossary

To find out about Hindu weddings, have a look at these pages:

Hindu weddings

 Hindu weddings – Pre-marriage rituals
Hindu wedding ceremonies are rich in preparation rituals - such as having haldi (turmeric) paste applied to the skin.

 Hindu weddings
The different steps of the wedding ceremony.

 Indian wedding costumes
The various clothes worn for traditional Hindu weddings.

Neel and Veneeta Pathak talk:
about being prepared with haldi for their wedding.
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Neel and Veneeta Pathak talk:
about the wedding platform and agni, the holy fire.
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Jayesh and Manisha Morar talk:
about tying on the wedding necklace and putting red powder in the parting of the bride’s hair.
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John and Bala Bell Thompson talk:
about tying the knot to give the bride away.
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Viewing options explained

To view the video clips above, you will need QuickTime player.

To save time, remember that you can download the videos and they will remain available on your computer for later viewing offline.