Vadhu Pravesha

Vadhu Pravesha (Sanskrit: वधूप्रवेश, romanized: Vadhūpraveśa) is a Hindu ritual in India performed to welcome the bride to the house of her new husband.[1][2]

A new bride standing on a plate of cosmetic
A man carries his newly wed wife into his house.

Description

In the ancient period, a wife would symbolically be taken to her new house with her husband in a chariot, where he would ask her to bear him sons and attend to his parents and property.[3]

In Bengali tradition, the women of the house pour water on the ground beneath their vehicle when they alight. Then the bride stands on a wooden square structure. Most often the groom's elder brother's wife holds a plate containing lac and milk. Durba is spread on the bride's forehead as a blessing. A pot full of rice is placed in front of the bride's feet she gently kicks. This symbolizes the wish and belief of having so much rice that it can even be kicked off. Then the bride puts her feet on a plate of alta (a traditional cosmetic used to color feet). Having imprinted the soles of her feet thus, she is taken into the house. The elders of the house bless the newlyweds.

References
  1. Guenzi, Caterina (2021-03-01). Words of Destiny: Practicing Astrology in North India. State University of New York Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-4384-8203-3.
  2. Goswami, Jaideva C. (1970). Glimpses of India. Notion Press. p. 207. ISBN 979-8-89067-973-4.
  3. Pandey, Rajbali (1969). Hindu Saṁskāras: Socio-religious Study of the Hindu Sacraments. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 224. ISBN 978-81-208-0396-1.
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