Maharashtrian wedding is a ceremony where not only the couple but their families are bound together. A male and female from two different families come together for making a couple. But along with that they create a big array of relationships of in-laws. Two families shake hands with each other and bless the couple which is marrying. Then they gather for a ceremony where all the rituals are performed through a Brahmin who is the Hindu priest. Typically a Maharashtrian Wedding is a ceremony which involves at least two days. And the whole emphasis is on the 'samskars' or the rituals which are performed through the Brahmin.
The father of the bride is supposed to lend his daughter to her in laws through a ritual called 'kanyadan'. Then there is a practice where the brother of the bride catches the ear of the groom and twists it as a gesture of warning him to take good care of his sister after the marriage. The whole marriage ceremony takes place in the presence of the sacred fire which is called the 'yagya' or 'vivah wedi'. It involves a ritual where the bride and the groom revolves seven times around the holy fire and vows to stay with each other for the rest of their lives and share all their joys and sorrows with each other. And it end ups with chanting of sacred chants by the priest and all the attendees showering the couple with their blessing in form of rice over them. As a sign of the relationship the groom wears an ornament called 'mangal sutra" to his bride. It is a symbol of them being married to each other..
In the olden days the whole practice used to take place for around three to four days since the modes of transport were very less and it took time for all the relatives to reach the destination. But today it is very easy and also the fast lives of the people do not permit them to stay so long for a ceremony unless it is in a very close relation to the couple. There is a growing practice of conducting Maharashtrian wedding in places like Rajasthan which is considered to be a place of rich culture and heritage and has ample amount of royal venues which can make it possible for the rich Maharashtrian families coming from political or business families to conduct their wedding ceremonies there.
