Sangeet means music and this ceremony could not have a more appropriate name. This ceremony is normally held the night before the wedding; however, it is not uncommon for it to last several nights and some have lasted up to seven nights! Basically it is a big old fashioned dance party for the bride and groom within their own families.

Traditionally, all the women (married and single) in the family would gather to dance and sing love songs and marriage songs with their bride/groom. While, it is still primarily a female run show, more and more people are including the whole family, male and female alike for a huge family/friend dance party afterward.

Bandhana- The bride and groom each in their own homes, get the sacred thread tied around their wrists on the morning of the wedding. The thread known as mouli, is given by the priest and remains on the wrists of the newlywed couple until it falls off. It is considered a blessing and starting a marriage with a blessing can not hurt :-)

Also known as Chuda Chadana, this ceremony is only for the bride and her family. This tradition goes back as far as anyone alive today can remember, and it appears in written records hundreds of years ago. The bride's head and face is covered with a red or pink chunni/duppatta, while the bride's maternal uncle presents her with red and ivory bangles. The bride's maternal uncle's wife then places them on the bride's wrists. If you thought that last part was a little confusing, try looking atNorthern Indian Relationship Terms trust me you will be amazed. Silver bangles are then placed in front of the red and ivory bangles. Traditionally, these bangles were to be made from pure silver. Today, many families opt for ones made of foil because these are never worn again. A note on the ivory bangles: ivory is no longer used, today they are made from plastic or synthetic material. In my particular case, I had no relatives in India to give me this important event. My husband's family had to play double roles throughout the marriage celebrations and so did the priest who came to bless the bangles for us in milk. Another note: While I have never learned exactly why the bride's head is covered but I will have to tell that being under that chunni my anticipation grew by leaps since I had no idea what these bangles looked like. When they threw back my chunni and I first saw my bangles, I felt a little jump in my heart. For whatever the reasons, it certainly does add a lot of surprise and joy to the event.