ਬਰਾਤ

ਬਰਾਤ (baraat) is the groom’s wedding procession in Punjabi and North Indian weddings, a loud, joyful march from the groom’s home to the wedding venue. Traditionally the groom rides a decorated mare while family and friends dance to the dhol around him, turning the journey itself into a celebration. The baraat is the wedding’s first big ritual.

What does baraat mean?

Baraat is the wedding procession taken out from the groom’s side on his wedding day, and the word is also used for the party of people in it: the groom’s family and friends who travel with him to the bride’s home or the venue. One member of this party is called a barati, a wedding guest. The word is sometimes spelled barat or braat, and it is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable, sounding like “braat”.

What happens in a baraat?

A Punjabi baraat is loud, colorful and flamboyant. It usually begins with sehra bandhi, the tying of the groom’s sehra, a veil of flowers or beads fixed to his turban. Then comes the sawaari, when the groom climbs onto the mare’s back. Musicians lead the way, followed by the dancing baraatis, with the groom bringing up the rear. The dhol, the big double-headed Punjabi drum, sets the beat, and both men and women from the groom’s side dance through the streets. When the venue is far away, the procession may pause and restart at the venue gates.

How does the baraat end?

The procession is greeted at the venue with shehnai music, which is considered auspicious, and then comes the milni, the ritual in which the two families formally meet and exchange garlands. After the milni, everyone moves inside for the wedding ceremony itself, which in a Sikh wedding is the Anand Karaj. In modern times the groom may arrive in a decorated car instead of on a mare, but the dancing, the dhol and the joy stay the same.