Bengali Muslim wedding

A Bengali Muslim wedding ({{langx|bn|বাঙালি মুসলিম বিয়ে}}) feature distinctive religious rituals that take place over multiple days and are seen among the Bengali Muslims of Bangladesh{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} and West Bengal, India.{{cite journal |last1=Mukherjee |first1=D. P. |last2=Das |first2=Sanghamitra |last3=Banik |first3=Sudip Datta |title=Trends of Consanguineous Marriages in a Sunni Muslim Population of West Bengal, India |journal=Anthropologischer Anzeiger |date=2007 |volume=65 |issue=3 |pages=253–262 |doi=10.1127/anthranz/65/2007/253 |jstor=29542853 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/29542853 |issn=0003-5548}}{{cite book |last1=Rahman |first1=Urmi |last2=Smart! |first2=Culture |title=Bangladesh - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture |date=1 December 2014 |publisher=Kuperard |isbn=978-1-85733-696-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HelAwAAQBAJ&dq=Paan+Chini+Bengali+wedding&pg=PT10 |language=en}}

History

=Background=

{{Further|Islam in Bangladesh#History|Islam in West Bengal#History}}

Muslims first arrived in Bengal in the year 1204,{{cite book |last1=Eaton |first1=Richard M. |title=The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760 |date=1993 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-20507-9 |edition=1 |url=https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft067n99v9;brand=ucpress}}{{cite Banglapedia|article=Iliyas Shah|author=Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin}} bringing their own cultural and religious traditions from Persia, Arabia, and Turkestan.{{cite web |last1=Foundation |first1=Encyclopaedia Iranica |title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bengal#:~:text=Iranian%20culture%20was%20introduced%20in,548%2D60). |website=iranicaonline.org}} Over time, they integrated with the local society, adopting various indigenous customs while maintaining their distinct identity. This cultural exchange influenced many aspects of life, including marriage rituals. One such tradition was Gaye Holud, a turmeric ceremony rooted in Vedic (Hindu) rituals, which became a part of Bengali Muslim weddings.{{cite web |last1=Akhter |first1=Shahida |title=Gaye Halud |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Gaye_Halud |website=Banglapedia |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Rozario |first1=Santi |last2=Samuel |first2=Geoffrey |title=Gender, religious change and sustainability in Bangladesh |journal=Women's Studies International Forum |date=1 July 2010 |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=354–364 |doi=10.1016/j.wsif.2010.02.009 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027753951000018X |issn=0277-5395}}{{cite web |last1=Deshmukh |first1=Dr. Panjabrao |title=TURMERIC PRODUCTION IN INDIA : TRENDS AND DECOMPOSITION ANALYSIS |url=https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/e876e01a-b49d-41af-b788-e061528d8971/content |website=krishikosh.egranth.ac.in}}

Pre-wedding rituals

=''Gaye Holud''=

File:Gaye Holud, Dhaka, Bangladesh, JBI.jpg, Bangladesh]]

Gaye Holud ({{langx|bn|গায়ে হলুদ}}), meaning "applying turmeric to the body," is a traditional Bengali pre-wedding ritual where the groom's family, without the groom, visits the bride's house on the morning of the ceremony to celebrate and perform the turmeric function. Both the bride's and groom's families apply turmeric paste during their respective Gaye Holud ceremonies on the wedding day. This tradition symbolises purification and marks the beginning of their new journey together.{{cite journal |last1=Munshi |first1=Swayamdipta |title=SAARC Culture Journal Vol 9 2023 240719 180752 (1) |journal=SAARC Cultural Journal Volume 9 |date=1 January 2024 |volume=9 |page=32 |url=https://www.academia.edu/122479590 |archive-date=20 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250220113832/https://www.academia.edu/122479590/SAARC_Culture_Journal_Vol_9_2023_240719_180752_1_ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Alam |first1=S. M. Nazmul |last2=Naser |first2=M. Niamul |chapter=Role of traditional foods of Bangladesh in reaching-out of nutrition |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128200117000253 |title=Nutritional and Health Aspects of Food in South Asian Countries |publisher=Academic Press |pages=217–235 |date=1 January 2020 |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-820011-7.00025-3 |isbn=978-0-12-820011-7 |access-date=28 January 2025 |archive-date=28 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128131349/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128200117000253 |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last1=Alam |first1=Shariful |title=Nature and Causes of Conflict Regarding the Culture of Bangladesh and European Union (EU) |work=Bangladesh Research Publications Journal |volume=5 |issue=2 |page=157-166 |issn=1998-2003 |url=https://www.academia.edu/2291819 |archive-date=20 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250220111328/https://www.academia.edu/2291819/NATURE_AND_CAUSES_OF_CONFLICT_REGARDING_THE_CULTURE_OF_BANGLADESH_AND_EUROPEAN_UNION_EU_ |url-status=live }}

Bengali Muslims incorporated this practice under names like Haldi Kota and Tilwayi. This cultural blending reflects Bengal's history of religious and social harmony. Even today, Gaye Holud remains an essential part of Bengali Muslim weddings.{{cite journal |last1=Behera |first1=Deepak Kumar |title=Review of Belonging to Others. Cultural Construction of Womanhood among Muslims in a Village in Bangladesh |journal=Anthropos |date=1996 |volume=91 |issue=1/3 |pages=263–265 |jstor=40465309 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40465309 |issn=0257-9774}}

=''Meyeli Git''=

Meyeli Git ({{langx|bn|মেইলী গীত|link=no}}) is a traditional folk song performed by rural women during social ceremonies and family gatherings. Women create and tune these songs themselves, conveying emotions of happiness, sorrow, and longing. They are often sung during wedding rituals such as gaye halud, bridal bathing, and farewells. Typically performed without instruments, they may occasionally feature percussion like the dhol or tom-tom. Meyeli Git reflects the cultural heritage of rural women, passing down stories and traditions across generations. These songs add a touch of humour through playful exchanges between the bride’s and groom’s families, enriching the celebratory atmosphere.{{cite web |last1=Khatun |first1=Shahida |title=Meyeli Git |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Meyeli_Git |website=Banglapedia}}

Post-wedding rituals

=''Bou Bhat''=

File:Wedding of Bangladesh.jpg

On the evening of the Bou Bhat ({{langx|bn|বউভাত|link=no}}) ritual, the groom's family hosts a reception to introduce the new bride to their relatives, friends, and neighbours. Guests arrive, present gifts to the bride, and enjoy a meal. The bride's family is honoured as the special guests of the occasion and arrives together in a procession known as Kone Jatri or the bridal party. The bridal party brings a list of items for the bride, groom, and the groom's family, known as Phul-Sajjar Tatwa. This list includes dhotis for the elder male members, sarees for the elderly female members, food, fruits, sweets, and cosmetics such as powder, perfume, lac dye, vermilion, and flower ornaments. After the guests depart, the bride and groom share a meal with the groom's family.{{Cite web|date=29 November 2015|title=12 Things That Happen At A Bengali Wedding|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/culture/who-we-are/12-things-that-happen-at-a-bengali-wedding-247614.html|access-date=2 October 2020|website=IndiaTimes|language=en-IN|archive-date=29 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929130500/https://www.indiatimes.com/culture/who-we-are/12-things-that-happen-at-a-bengali-wedding-247614.html|url-status=live}}{{cite journal |last1=Siddiqi |first1=Bulbul |title=Reconfiguring the gender relation: The case of the Tablighi Jamaat in Bangladesh |journal=Culture and Religion |date=June 2012 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=177–192 |doi=10.1080/14755610.2012.674956 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233298498}}