'Engagement Ring Ceremony' - One Common Custom Of Indians

No matter which religion you belong to, engagement of a man and a woman before marriage is an important milestone in their relationship – one that is celebrated with gusto in our country. Since marriage is an important social custom in our culture, all roads that lead to it are given equal importance.

In all religions in India – Hindu, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity, an engagement is a formal announcement of a man and a woman’s intention to get married. This may be a casual occasion and performed in the presence of family and friends, or it could be a more formal occasion, wherein a lot of guests are invited to bless the couple and wish them success. The engagement ring is an important part of the ceremony in every religion.

Hindus
According to the Vedic traditions, the Hindu engagement ceremony, also known as the ‘wagdaan’, is a sacred tradition, performed a few months before marriage. The man’s family welcomes the woman’s family into their home and vice versa, thus establishing the beginning of a new relationship. In the recent times, the traditions have slightly changed and the ceremonies have become larger than what they used to be. Traditionally, a silver ring was used to signify the engagement, but in the recent times, it has been replaced with the more extravagant diamond rings set in gold bands.

Muslims
The engagement ceremony or the mangni usually occurs after the couple has accepted each other and has declared their intentions to marry. For most families, this is a private affair in which the two families come together and exchange their engagement rings. Once the rings are exchanged, the relationship is cemented and the girl and the boy are deemed committed to each other. Over the next few days, the details of the marriage are usually discussed between the families. Today the traditional silver rings or ‘chandi ka chhalla’ as they were called, have been replaced with diamond rings and solitaires in gold or platinum bands.

Sikhs
In the Sikh religion, the engagement ceremony is known as ‘gurmai’. It is not a necessary tradition and is strictly optional. Like in all other religions and cultures, the engagement ceremony is a formal announcement of the impending marriage. If a gurmai is conducted, it is either performed in the gurudwara or the home of groom-to-be. It involves a prayer and then a token exchange of religious gifts – especially the kara. However, nowadays, the Kara is accompanied by diamond rings exchanged between the man and the woman in question.

Christians
The pre-wedding rituals in the Christian religion chiefly consist of the engagement ceremony. The families come together in a church or in a more informal setting and exchange rings to announce the betrothal and the decided date and time of the impending marriage. The engagement may or may not be followed by an entirely separate celebration known as the bridal shower. This is a party thrown by the friends and family of the bride, for her, to welcome her into her pending nuptials.

The engagement ring is an important part of all the pre-wedding celebrations and while in some religions, it is customary; in others it is completely optional. The customs followed in the ceremony may be different, but what always remains constant is the trepidation and the excitement of the upcoming wedding, along with the engagement rings exchanged between the soon to be bride and groom.