Baraat

For the settlement in Mongolia, see Baraat, Töv.
For other uses, see Barat (disambiguation).

Baraat (Hindi: बरात, Urdu: بارات) (pronunciationⓘ) or Varayatra (Sanskrit: वरयात्रा, romanized: Varayātrā)[1][2] is a groom's wedding procession in Indian subcontinent.[3][4] In Indian subcontinent, it is customary for the bridegroom to travel to the wedding venue (often the bride's house) on a mare (or vintage car nowadays and chariots or elephants in the past),[5] accompanied by his family members.[3][6]

An Indian Hindu wedding procession, baraat, with the bridegroom on a horse, led by a brass band, Pushkar, Rajasthan.

The baraat can become a large procession, with booking its own band, dancers, and budget. The groom and his horse are covered in finery and do not usually take part in the dancing and singing; that is left to the "baraatis" or people accompanying the procession. The groom usually carries a sword.[6] The term baraati is also more generically used to describe any invitee from the groom's side. Traditionally, baraatis are attended to as guests of the bride's family.

An episode from the Mahabharata, depicting the Baraat, the procession before the marriage of Shri Krishna and Rukmini Pahari, probably Mandi, circa 1840.

The baraat, headed by a display of fireworks and accompanied by the rhythm of the dhol, reaches the meeting point, where the elders of both the families meet. In Indian Hindu weddings, the groom is greeted with garlands, tilak and aarti.[5] In traditional Indian weddings, baraats are welcomed at the wedding venue with the sound of shehnais or nadaswaram, which are considered auspicious at weddings by Hindus. [7]

  1. ^ Das, Sukla (1980). Socio-Economic Life Of Northern India. Abhinav Publications. p. 83. ISBN 978-81-7017-116-4.
  2. ^ Thakur, Molu Ram (1997). Myths, Rituals, and Beliefs in Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-071-2.
  3. ^ a b "The marriage parties", The Hindu, 2009-07-03, retrieved 2010-06-17, ... bands are routinely hired for the baraat — a tradition in Pakistan and India where the groom rides a decorated horse to the wedding ceremony, accompanied by relatives and friends dancing to the music of the band ...
  4. ^ Iftikhar Haider Malik (2006), Culture and customs of Pakistan, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0-313-33126-X, ... The groom comes back again with a procession (baraat) and at this time the bride finally departs with him ...
  5. ^ a b "Everything You Need to Know About the Baraat". Brides. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  6. ^ a b K. N. Pandita; Kumar Suresh Singh; Sukh Dev Singh Charak; Baqr Raza Rizvi (2003), Jammu & Kashmir (Volume 25 of People of India: State Series), Anthropological Survey of India, ISBN 81-7304-118-0, ... the groom ... mare carrying a sword. The sehra ceremony ...
  7. ^ Mark-Anthony Falzon (2004), Cosmopolitan connections: the Sindhi diaspora, 1860-2000, BRILL, ISBN 90-04-14008-5, ... the shehnai (a wind instrument widely used by musicians at weddings and such auspicious occasions) ...