by Amreen Bi

Created on: April 18, 2009   Last Updated: August 22, 2009

Marriage is an important part of Islam. Practicing Muslims see marriage as not just the coming together of the bride and groom but also a fundamental part of a functioning society. Muslims come from many different cultures and countries and so the weddings differ from region to region but they all have the basics of Islam.

The Muslim wedding celebrations and rituals can be divided into three different sections:

Pre-wedding celebrations

Wedding day celebrations

Post wedding celebrations

Each of the above has various rituals that are preformed. Before the wedding takes place there are a number of various pre-wedding rituals that need to take place.

The parents of the bride and groom are given the task to conduct most of the wedding. The bride and groom can have a say but most of the wedding preparation is done by others. As there is no auspicious time to conduct a wedding in Islam, marriages can take place any time convenient. Most people do tend to prefer to get married in the summer though.

One of the first rituals to take place is the Legan Chir. In this ceremony the father of the groom sends money as a present to the girls family.

As the bride and groom do not see each other until their wedding day the pre-wedding rituals are often done separately. For the Muslim brides in many cultures these rituals are a chance for beauty rituals to take place.

The mother of the groom makes a paste made from turmeric, sandalwood powder and aromatic oils and sends this for the bride to use on her skin. These will help give the bride beautiful skin on her wedding day.

The paste is massaged onto the bride's skin by her friends and family. Likewise the bride's mother will make a similar paste and take it for the groom. He will use it too. Many relatives, friends and family apply the paste on his face and enjoy teasing him.

One of the most colourful pre-wedding rituals to take place is the Mehndi ceremony. Mehndi is also known as henna and includes painting pretty patterns on the bride's hands. The groom sometimes has a simple pattern painted on his hand.

In some cultures it is believed that the darker the henna stain is on a bride's hands the more her new family loves her. This maybe perhaps because in the old days the mother-in-laws would make the henna paste themselves.

Another twist that is often added to this ceremony is called 'Tel Mehndi' meaning Oil and Henna. This includes people using a fragrant oil and putting it on the bride's and/or grooms hair. The oil is used to make the hair smell nice and look lovely.

Most of the pre-wedding rituals are focused on beautifying the bride and groom and to get them ready for the wedding that is about to come up.

Close relatives and friends are invited and these rituals are celebrated together. It is a chance to have fun and enjoy yourself and wish the best for the couple.

The bride will often wear very colourful clothing to the pre-wedding rituals. The Muslim brides will often wear many different clothing for different ceremonies. As the wedding day gets nearer she will often start wearing more glamorous clothing, right up until her wedding day where she will wear lots of jewelery.

Religion is a major part of the weddings. Both the bride and groom will receive blessings from the elders and well wishers. The atmosphere is one that is lively and community oriented.

The ceremonies can vary as Muslims come from a variety of different backgrounds. Once the pre-wedding rituals are over the next step will be getting married and end it all with a few post-wedding rituals.

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