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Wedding
At the time of the wedding, the Suhagi jewellery (denoting a girls married
status) is presented by the Mama and the rest is given by the parents
of the bride and the groom. The groom's family displays their gifts (Barasuhi)
to the bride, to all assembled, so that they may judge their financial
status. Among the poorer sections, the gifts and the cash to be given
to the bride by her family at the time of the wedding are fixed in advance.
In the plains, the bride's brother presents the groom
with a 'dhoti' and a ring and ushers him to the place where the marriage
ceremony is to take place. In the areas of Kinnaur the bride's father
presents the groom with a white turban and ties a sword or a dagger to
his waist band to indicate the start of the ceremonies. All this time
wine cups are also presented to both the match-maker and the groom. When
the marriage party returns with the bride it is greeted by the fellow
villagers holding torches. Goats are sacrificed and special rituals are
performed to ward off evil spirits and ghosts.
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