The Best Bridal Jewelry – The Hindu Way
Wedding, be it in any part of the world, marks the most important event in the life of a person, when he/she leaves behind his/her single life and gets ready to share his/her each and everything with another person. Jewelry forms a very important part of the overall attire of a bride. In fact, the bridal look is believed to be incomplete unless the bride wears each and every piece of the jewelry meant for her.
The Hindu custom in India is one of the cultures where bridal jewelry is prolifically used. It is also culturally significant and mandatory to do so.
Mangal Sutra:
The word mangalsutra means an auspicious thread or cord. A mangalsutra is an Indian symbol of Hindu marriage; it is the most important part of the bridal jewelry. However, it is not worn by the bride before the marriage. Rather, it is tied by her husband around her neck, as symbol of their union. It comprises of a string of black beads or yellow thread, with a gold or diamond pendant.
The groom ties it around the neck of the bride on the day of their marriage signifying their union. It is known by different names in different states of the country.
Especially, according to Hindu culture, there are five signs of marital status of women. They are,
- Mangalsutra,
- Toe rings, Kumkum,
- Bangles and
- Nose Ring
Mangalsutra is the most important among all of them without which a marriage doesn’t happen.
Mangalya dharanam ("wearing the mangalya") is the most important part of a Hindu marriage ceremony. The mangalya is strung on a yellow thread prepared by using Turmeric paste. It is tied around the bride's neck with three knots. In some families, the groom ties the first knot and his sisters tie the rest.
In this case other religions such as the Muslims use a gold chain with black beads, where as Christians wear gold or platinum ring with parts of their name carved on it as a symbol of marriage.