Why Haldi Is Applied To Bride And Groom Before Wedding
Haldi or turmeric is an essential commodity of Indian cuisine. The spice also holds a special place in Indian weddings. This is celebrated in a ritual known as the Haldi or Pithi Ceremony. It takes place in both the bride’s and the groom’s homes a few days before the actual wedding.
The Haldi Ritual
Haldi has a host of health benefits which marks it as an important ingredient in food items, as well as in beauty and skin care. While it adds taste and colour to food, the turmeric paste also enhances glow and fairness and promotes healthy skin. This glow is essentially what the Haldi ceremony is all about.
The paste is a mixture of turmeric, sandalwood powder and rose water, which forms a fragrant mix.
A few days before the wedding, the elders gather at the bride and groom’s houses and prepare the mixture carefully. It’s usually the elderly ladies who come forth to apply the paste on the hands, feet, legs, arms and face of the bride and groom. They bless them for their special day and later, enjoy an evening filled with music, fun and tasty food.
The bride and groom are traditionally forbidden to meet each other until the day of the wedding, once the haldi ceremony is over.
Protection Against The Evil Eye
According to the religious texts, haldi or turmeric has powerful properties that protect from evil forces. So applying its paste on the bride and groom can ward off any bad omen that may befall them before the wedding. This is also a reason for the bride and groom to stay within the confines of their homes. They do not step outside until the day of the wedding.
Symbolic Signficance of Haldi
By applying haldi paste, elderly ladies show their love and prayers symbolically. As the couple gear up to set out on their new life, the folks that gather shower their blessings and wishes for a healthy married life.
Purification
Going by some Hindu texts and tradition, turmeric purify the body and soul. Application of its paste is believed to cleanse the body and mind from any negativity, thereby marking the couple pure and auspicious for their new life together.
Health Benefits
Turmeric is known to be a strong antiseptic. And it is perhaps this scientific knowledge that justifies applying it on the body. Haldi paste can prevent acne and pimples, and remove dead cells, thereby enriching skin and promoting a healthy glow.
Moreover, being an antiseptic will help the body boost itself against any minor infections that may threaten the body before the wedding.
Comment (1)
Can an unmarried person apply turmeric on bride/ groom ? In Mauritius, we cannot do so as long as we remain unmarried. Is an unmarried person considered inauspicious in that sense . However, unmarried men & those who have done their ‘ janev ‘ can do so?