Chuda
Chuda – This ceremony takes place in the morning of the wedding day. The ritual involves a havan or puja that is conducted by a pundit or priest. The oldest maternal uncle of the bride has an important role to play and he is one of the main participants of the havan. A set of red and cream ivory bangles, touched and blessed by all those who are present is put on the bride by the eldest maternal uncle. Flowers are sprinkled on the bride and sweets are distributed to commemorate the beginning of all the rituals to follow. Once the chuda has been worn, all relatives, friends and cousins tie kaliras on the kada or bangle on the bride’s wrists. These are essentially gold and silver plated traditional ornaments that hang from the wrist during the wedding. This is also the time when the maternal uncle presents the wedding lehnga to his niece.
