The bridal attire :

Donning the traditional wedding attire is a ritual in itself. Their relatives assist the bride and the groom as they dress for the occasion in elaborate wedding gear. The groom's paternal uncle helps him to tie the gordastar (turban). A gold thread is used to tie a peacock feather to the gordastar.

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Ceremony at the groom's house :

Before leaving for the bride's house, the groom must stand on a vyog (a decorative pattern made of rice flour and colours). He is given nabad (sugar lumps) to eat, a conch shell is sounded to announce his departure, and two rice pots containing some money are given away as alms to the poor. The groom leaves with the marriage procession for the bride's house.

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Receiving the marriage procession :

The arrival of the marriage procession is announced by blowing a conch shell. All the relatives of the bride greet the procession warmly. The groom stands on the vyog that has been specially created for the occasion. The bride's maternal uncle carries her out and she joins the groom on the vyog. The eldest female member of the family feeds nabad to the bride and the groom and kisses them on the forehead. Two rice pots are given away to the poor. The couple is led by the family purohit to the door. He performs a small ceremony here called dwar pooja before leading them to the lagan mandap (the place where the marriage rites are performed).

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The wedding ceremony :

The purohit performs the rituals in front of a sacred fire. One of the rituals, aathwas, requires the couple to cross their arms and hold hands in this position. Their hands are covered with a cloth. According to Kashmiri folklore, the first to be able to pull out the engagement ring of the other will be the one to play a dominating role in the relationship. A mananmal, golden thread, is tied to their foreheads. The left foot of the bride and groom are placed on a kajwat or grinding stone. The first phera or round around the sacred fire is made by stepping on seven one-rupee coins. There are a total of seven pheras. The bride and groom feed each other some rice at the end of the ceremony.

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Vidai :

The newly-weds must stand on the vyog while the eldest female member of the bride's family offers them nabad thrice and kisses them on the forehead. The bride is seated in a doli or palanquin. Her relatives and friends bid her good-bye as she sets off for her new home.

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Welcoming the newly-weds :

The groom's eldest aunt refuses the newly-weds entry into their home until she is given cash or jewellery. The couple must stand on a specially created vyog and have nabad, offered by the groom's eldest aunt. She kisses them on the forehead. A pair of pigeons is set free to celebrate the arrival of the newly-weds. The mananmal tied on the forehead of the couple are exchanged. The aunt leads them to the kitchen where they must sit on the mud stove. The waza serves them food and the aunt feeds them. After the meal, the bride changes into the new set of clothes and jewellery, presented to her by her in-laws.

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