Strange Wedding Traditions in Indian Weddings

3 min readSep 6, 2023

Marriage is the union of two people who commit themselves to love and support each other. But some people think that these weddings were filled with too many ceremonies and too many people. If you are someone who thinks that these ceremonies are meaningless, then you should attend an Indian wedding. After that, you will understand the concept behind each ceremony.

And the venue is filled with emotions more than just people. The elaborate ceremonies and the vibrant colours are all so visually appealing. It’s more like a small festival.

Wait, it’s completely unforgivable to not mention the delicious cuisines they serve during the wedding.

When you get to know more about the different Indian wedding traditions, you might also get to know about some strange traditions that are being followed. Let’s look at some of the strangest traditions in Indian weddings.

Here are some strange traditions in Indian weddings:

Uninvited mothers

All of us want to get married in the presence of our family, friends and relatives. In that case, can you think of a tradition where your mother cannot attend your wedding? Sounds weird, right?

It might be hard to believe that this kind of tradition existed at Indian weddings, but it’s been a part of Bengali weddings for years. And the reason behind this tradition is unimaginable. People believe that the mother’s presence would bring bad luck to the couple. They also believe that the mother might be a potential source of conflict in the marriage.

Not all families in Bengali communities follow this tradition, and some families do invite the mothers to the wedding. Still, people follow this tradition and believe it is a way to protect the couple’s happiness.

Marrying the Tree or the pot

Most people might be familiar with the word Mangalik, a dosha in your kundali which is a potential reason for a delayed wedding. Our Vedic astrology also states that a groom or a bride with Manglik dosha will be the reason for the death of their spouse. This is the reason behind this tradition. Well, our Vedics will also have a remedy for this dosha.

And the remedy is that the groom or bride has to marry a tree or a pot. This tradition is a way to protect the groom or the bride from this curse. People also see it as a way to cleanse the bride or the groom of their negative energy. The tree or pot that the bride marries will usually be a peepal tree. The Peepal tree is considered sacred in Hinduism.

Kashi Yatra

It is a bit strange tradition as this happens just before the groom is about to tie the knot. Just before tying the knot, the groom will do an act as he is leaving for Kashi to become a saint. The bride’s father or uncle has to convince the groom to stop pursuing the Kashi Yatra and marry their daughter.

It is a strange yet fun-filled tradition carried out in South Indian weddings for hundreds of years.

Nose Pulling

Most of us might have played with our friends by pulling their noses. But have you ever thought that would be a tradition? Yes, it’s a fun-filled tradition in Gujarathi weddings where the bride’s mother will pull the nose of the groom after aarthi. This gesture is to remind him to be gentle and grateful while accepting her daughter as his wife. This tradition goes by the name ‘ponkhana’.

Pot Balancing

This tradition happens at weddings in Bihar and it happens when the bride visits the groom’s place. The groom’s mother welcomes the bride and gives her some pot that she has to balance. And not just that, she also has to touch the feet of elders to get a blessing while balancing the pot.

There is a belief that the number of pots she can balance represents the number of skills the bride possesses to maintain the family.

These are some of the strange wedding traditions in India. But, the most important thing that we need to remember is that Indian weddings are a celebration of love and union. These traditions add beauty and meaning to the celebration.