Kayastha Wedding
Day IV : Rasm # 1
Kohwar - Parikshan : n the morning , the bride is escorted out of the room for bathing and dressing up. The groom is escorted out to his dressing room to dress for the day.When both of them have been sent out, the senior ladies from the family enter the room and inspect the bed to check for signs of consummation.
Salami: After dressing up for the day and after having breakfast, the bride and the groom are made to sit on the chairs in the hall. All the elders in the family now give the 'salaami' to the groom. Salami means giving a salute. This is given in the form of either cach or expensive gifts. After which , the groom takes 'vidai'(permission of departure) with his bride for his home.
Vidai : The newly-weds are escorted by the bride's brother, to a flower decked car, which shall take them to the boy's venue.The bride's head covered with her'chunri' which is knotted in the 'gaththbandhan' with the 'chadar ' or 'angochcha of the groom, carries her 'sindhora' in her hand. As the car moves, the family members shower them with 'akshat' and flowers. The car moves forward and backwards three times, to ward away the bad omens, and then the car finally takes off.
The brother leads his sister and her groom to the bedecked car for vidai.(note the'sindhora' in the bride's hand)
At the groom's place:
Swagat-Arti : When the groom arrives with his bride, the ladies of the groom's family do the 'aarti' of the couple and shower 'akshat' and flowers as blessing and escort them to the house.At the entrance door, the sister of the groom awaits. She places a copper vessel full of rice with doob and haldi , a shallow plate full of 'aalta'(a red colored water applied generally to the feet) and two ' tokris'(cane woks).
The bride is asked to trip the rice-vessel with her right foot. She is then asked to put the same foot in the 'aalta'plate' followed by her left feet.she then places her right feet on one of the 'tokri' followed by the left foot in the second'tokri'. The 'tokris' are then moved one after the other with the bride walking over it all the way to her 'kohwar'(bedroom).
Dwar-Chchekai ; Here also, the sisters of the groom do the 'dwar - giving 'neg' to his sisters in the form of cash or kind, for letting him to enter the house with his wife .This is all done in good humor.
Kohwar - Pujai : The same ritual is repeated here also as done at the bride's place. After the meal, the newly-weds retire . Muh-Dikhai : This for the bride by the groom's family as to what 'Salaami' was to the groom at the bride's place. Relatives and friends shower gifts and cash to the new bride as blessings.The bride and the groom touch the feet of all the elders keeping an handkerchief or token-amount of cash on their feet.The mother -in-law gives her 'Kangan' (gold bangles) in particular to the new bride.