Traditional Kumaoni Wedding Rituals :

From an administration point of view, the Eastern Part of Uttarakhand state is known as Kumaon Division. Under the Kumaon division, currently Almora, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Nainital and Udhamsingh Nagar Districts are included. Geographically, the district Udham Singh Nagar falls in the plains while all other districts are in the mountainous regions. The spoken language in these parts is mainly Kumauni except the Khatima and Sitarganj tehsils of Udham Singh Nagar district where the spoken dialect is ‘Tharu’, the Munsiyari tehsil where the spoken dialect is ‘Johari’, the Didihat tehsil where the spoken dialect is ‘Raji’, the Bajpur tehsil where the ‘Buksa’ dialect is spoken and the Dharchula tehsil of Pithoragarh district where the ‘RungLo’ dialect is spoken. The word Kumaon Anchal i.e region, is basically an enclosure where the Kumauni language is largely spoken and where uniform characteristics are found socially and culturally.

Marriage has been considered as a significant ritual of life in Indian Hindu society since ancient times. Marriage is not just a conflux of men and women but it is a social system from where it starts to pursue human ancestry, fulfill family obligations and connect with different dimensions of life. If we talk about the prevailing marital practices in Kumaon region, we find that there is a tradition of marriage and customs arranged in accordance with the socially formalized systems with a few diversities and variations.  there were three types of marital relations prevalent in Kumaon region of which details are given below:

1. Wedded wife: When a woman is married to any man as per rituals & local customs that she is the ‘wedded wife’. This kind of marital relationship is most prevalent in the ‘Kumaon Anchal’.

2. Dhanti : The wife of any other person, who is a widow, or who may be abandoned by her husband, when brought home as a wife, is called a dhanti. The special thing is that dhanti is kept like a maiden without rituals. In practice, it was considered necessary to pay the price to the former husband or the nearest family.

3. Tekuwa : When a woman, especially a widow, puts a man in her house as a husband, then that person is called tekuwa, kathwa or haliya. Such a relationship used to be termed as tekuwa in the Kumaon.

According to elderly people of the region, the dhanti, tekuwa and damtaro marriages were prevalent in the Kumaoni society until about eight decades ago. These kind of marriages or relationships are not usually in practice in contemporary society. When a poor family was unable to marry their daughter, then they would take money from the groom's family in lieu of the marriage and then the girl was married. This marriage was called damataro vivaah. With socio-economic changes and growing education and awareness, the society has now started to oppose the older belief-systems of marriage that are not relevant in today’s developed society (source: Shri Devaki Nandan Lohani, village Lohana).

In earlier times, the practice of child marriages was prevalent in the Kumaon Anchal. However, at present this practice has almost come to an end. This was mainly because of an open society in the mountains, where there was no practice of seclusion. People preferred to marry off their daughters when they were 12-13 years old as the youth of the region were engaged mainly in agriculture and animal husbandry leading to possibilities of interaction between local boys and girls of the villages in the region.

Three kinds of marriages are currently practiced in Kumaon Anchal :

Anchal Vivah : In this kind of marriage, people from the groom’s side go to the bride's house with a procession. The groom's bride's 'aanchal' (which is a long yellow and thin cloth) is interlocked. The bride’s father gives away the bride, i.e. kanyadan to the groom. 'Aanchal' marriage is done in accordance with Vaidic rituals (as per the Vedas) and local customs.

Sarol Vivah : In Kumaon, this type of marriage is also called bada or dola. In this marriage, the bride is brought to the house of the groom accompanied by the playing of drums and without any rituals. The marriage is then performed in a ritualistic manner in the groom’s house. In this marriage, the bride and the groom do not wear the customary crowns on their heads. Now, this practice of sarol marriages are usually not seen in the Kumaon region.

Mandir Vivah : When the bride and groom are married in a temple, then is called a mandir vivah. In Kumaon Anchal, there are several such temples, including temples of Golu devta which is located in Chitai near Almora and the ‘Ghorakhal’ in Nainital, where marriages are usually conducted. These rituals are usually completed in a day’s time, in the presence of the family members of the bride and the groom

Some ritualistic features of Kumauni marriages :

The traditional wedding rituals of the Kumaon region have a distinct identity of their own. Generally, in the rural areas, marriage rituals are conducted in three places around the house - the courtyard of the house (dhuliarghay), the ground floor of the house or the goth (kanyadaan) and outside the house, (Agni Pradakshina). 

On the occasion of suwal pathai symbolical effigies of Samdhi and Samdhin are made from black sesame, and mutually interchanged by the families of the bride and the groom in the panigrahan sanskaar. Women wear traditional attire called rangwali pichhodas. Until a few years ago, rangwali pichhodas were made at home and dyed in yellow colour, and anointed with spherical henna marks. But now these outfits are easily available in the market. Before the commencement of the marriage procession from the groom's side, a special person Musbhijai / Jolee is sent to the bride home with a pot of curd (dahi ki theki) and a green leafy vegetable. This symbolizes the completion of preparations by the groom’s side and signals the imminent arrival of the procession at the bride’s place.

In the marriages of the Rajput community, chholia or a group of dancers, dance along with the procession wielding shields and swords. The ceremonial flags or nishaans in red and white colours are taken ahead of and at the rear of the procession. Traditional instruments like the dhol, damaau, ransingh and maskakbeen are normallypracticed played in the marriage ceremonies. When the procession reaches the bride's house, the bride’s sister cleverly tries to hide the shoes of the groomand demands money from the groom before returning it to him. Mangal geet are also sung by Gidari (a group of female singers) during the rituals.

In Kumaoni weddings, there is a tradition of considering the bride and groom as Gods and hence it is also a custom to adorn their heads with crowns. The pictures of Ganesha and Radha-Krishna are placed in the crowns. Kurmu (a dot shaped design) is marked on the face of groom. At the time of kanyadaan, both families indulge in satire and gossip through the songs that add to the delightfully charming atmosphere.

When it is time for the marriage procession to leave for the groom’s house, family members of the bride apply tilak to all the guests and give them dakshina with respect. Naariyal 'golaas' are also given to family members. The bride and the groom return to the bride’s house after a few days, which is called dooragaman (returning arrival) or durgun. After marriage, when the mother of the groom arrives at bride’s maternal hometown for the first time, it is known as samdhyon bhetna. 

While modernism has influenced the culture, dialects, traditions and customs of the Kumaon region, including marriage rituals, it is a matter of joy that the rural areas are largely still traditional and even migrant families living in cities in India as well as in other countries, are also following traditional customs and necessary rituals as per Vedic parampara or marriage practices. This certainly heralds well for the development and conservation of Kumaoni culture.