Anand Karaj - Important Details
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Arrival instructions - Before Ceremony Festivities
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(Before 9:30 AM) The Bride's side of the family should be going into the Gurdwara. Please be on time, its important to have the brides side of the family enter the gurdwara before the Baraat. (9:30 AM) Baraat - The grooms side of the family should meet him at a location outside of the gurdwara (close to the location). Once all of the family and friends have arrived, the groom will walk to gurdwara accompanied by dancing family and friends. (10 AM) Milni - The formal meeting and greeting of both the brides side and grooms side outside the door of the gurdwara. Arrival in the Hall - Both families and guests sit on the floor (men on one side, women on the other). All attendees, including guests, must cover their heads and remove their shoes.
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Ceremony Explanation
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(11 AM) The Entrance - The groom enters, bows to the Guru Granth Sahib (Matha Tek), and takes his seat. The bride then enters with her family, makes her offering, and sits to the groom's left. The Palla Ceremony - The bride's father places a palla (a long, decorative scarf or sash) over the groom's shoulder and places the other end in the bride's hand, symbolizing the physical and spiritual uniting of the couple. The Laavan (The Four Rounds) - The core of the ceremony. The Granthi reads four specific hymns composed by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das. After each hymn, the couple rises and walks clockwise around the Guru Granth Sahib together—with the groom leading and the bride following. Each round represents a progressive step in their marital, spiritual, and emotional journey. (There will be two TVs that have both the Punjabi translation and American translation) Anand Sahib & Ardas - The couple sits down to listen to hymns of joy (Anand Sahib) and a communal prayer (Ardas) is offered to thank Waheguru and bless the newly married couple. Hukumnama - A random reading from the Guru Granth Sahib is read aloud to give the couple daily spiritual guidance for their marriage. (12:30 PM) Karah Parshad - The ceremony concludes with the distribution of a blessed, sweet pudding (karah parshad) to the entire congregation, followed by a communal vegetarian meal (Langar) Doli (Vidaai) - The emotional farewell of the bride from her family home as she leaves with her husband and his family.
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Wedding Day Attire
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Men: suits or kurta pajama Women: Indian attire (salwar kameez, sharara, gharara) American attire (long pants and a long/short sleeve blouse/shirt) Regardless of whether you are a male or female visitor, you should never show up to a Sikh wedding wearing shorts of any length. Legs should never be exposed. Wearing see-through clothing or exposing too much of your midriff is not a good idea. Sikh weddings are always exciting and colorful affairs. You can wear any color you choose and be as brilliant and bold as you like. The only thing to keep in mind is that you should never wear black or white apparel. In the Sikh community, these two hues are always associated with colors to wear to funerals. For girls, a suit and kurta pajama would be an excellent alternative. “Everyone is seated on the ground for the entirety of the ceremony, so you want to be comfortable and be prepared to sit (Criss-Cross Applesauce) for a long time.” It’s also helpful to bring a scarf or head covering, as it’s required to cover your head inside the gurdwara (temple). There will be chairs provided for those who cannot sit on the ground!