Wedding Blog

One of my favorite parts of Indian weddings are the games. The bride and groom and their guests get into the joyful spirit of the day through many traditional games that are used to break the ice, symbolize the relationship among new family members, and establish who wears the pants in the family There are so many more games than I’ve listed here, but these are among my favorite Indian wedding games:

– When the groom arrives at the mandap (the structure the ceremony takes place under, sort of like a chuppah), the groom removes his shoes. The bride’s sisters/friends/bridesmaids immediately steal the shoes. After the ceremony is over and the groom gets up to leave the mandap, the girls surround him and demand money in exchange for his shoes. This is the fun part as the girls and groom engage in fierce and often hilarious negotiations. The groom is finally left with no alternative but to pay the girls their asking price and he receives his shoes back. Needless to say, this game (called jutti chupai) is *very* popular among young women

Similarly, after the wedding, the bride’s brothers and male cousins typically bar the door to the newlywed suite and won’t let the bride and groom in unless the groom pays them a sum of money. Mr. Jasmine better hit the ATM before our big day!– I don’t know the name of the next game, but I’ve seen it before and it looks like so much fun. As the bride approaches the mandap for the ceremony, the groom’s brother holds a large tray/plate between her and the groom. The bride has a basket of rose petals and she has to throw as many petals as she can at the groom while his brother tries to block them with the plate. Whoever successfully dodges/tosses the most rose petals will be the dominant one in the relationship. Considering both Mr. Jasmine and his brother are around 6’3 and I’m 5’1, I think I wouldn’t do so well at this game.

– Another popular game is typically played at home right after the wedding. The bride and groom’s wedding bands are placed in a bowl filled with milk. Both the bride and groom put their hands in the bowl and whoever finds their ring first will always have the upper hand in the relationship.

– The groom’s name is hidden in the intricate mehndi on the bride’s hands. On the wedding night, the groom has to find his name in the pattern. This game initially began during the time of arranged marriages when the bride and groom hadn’t seen each other before the wedding day, let alone touched. The game was a safe, comfortable way for them to initiate contact and break the ice.

– The bride and the groom are given a knotted string. They each must use one hand to unravel the knot. If the couple can unravel it with great speed, they will supposedly face life’s struggles and achieve success with greater ease.

I can’t wait to play some of these games with Mr. Jasmine! Do you plan to include any traditional wedding games have any special wedding games- I would love to hear about them!

image courtesy of andrena photo