<!-- Kurmai Meaning in Punjabi | Jugti -->
Source: https://jugti.com/kosh/words/kurmai/

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Word

# ਕੁੜਮਾਈ

kurmai

Say it**kur-MAA-ee, three syllables, stress on the middle**Type**Noun**

In short

Kurmai (ਕੁੜਮਾਈ) is the Punjabi word for the formal engagement ceremony before a wedding, also called sagai. The bride receives a phulkari dupatta and jewellery, the groom is blessed with a tika, gifts pass between the families, and the couple exchange rings.

## How it's used

1. 1ਅਗਲੇ ਐਤਵਾਰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਕੁੜਮਾਈ ਹੈ।Their kurmai is next Sunday. _announcing the engagement_
2. 2ਕੁੜਮਾਈ ਵਿੱਚ ਦੋਵਾਂ ਨੇ ਛੱਲੇ ਵਟਾਏ।At the kurmai, the two exchanged rings. _the ring exchange_
3. 3ਕੁੜਮਾਈ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਵਿਆਹ ਦੀ ਤਰੀਕ ਪੱਕੀ ਹੋ ਗਈ।After the kurmai, the wedding date was fixed. _plans follow the kurmai_
Show 1 more example
1. 4ਕੁੜਮਾਈ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਾਦੇ ਢੰਗ ਨਾਲ ਹੋਈ।The kurmai was held simply at the gurdwara. _a gurdwara kurmai_

ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਰਥ

ਕੁੜਮਾਈ ਵਿਆਹ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਦੀ ਰਸਮੀ ਮੰਗਣੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ, ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਸਗਾਈ ਵੀ ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਮਿਲਦੇ ਹਨ, ਕੁੜੀ ਨੂੰ ਫੁਲਕਾਰੀ ਵਾਲੀ ਚੁੰਨੀ ਅਤੇ ਗਹਿਣੇ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਮੁੰਡੇ ਦੇ ਮੱਥੇ ਉੱਤੇ ਟਿੱਕਾ ਲਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਅਖ਼ੀਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਮੁੰਡਾ ਕੁੜੀ ਛੱਲੇ ਵਟਾਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਸਭ ਮੂੰਹ ਮਿੱਠਾ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ।

Kurmai (ਕੁੜਮਾਈ) is the Punjabi word for the formal engagement ceremony held before a wedding, also called sagai. The two families meet and bless the match: the bride is draped in an ornate dupatta and given jewellery, the groom is blessed with a tika, and the couple exchange rings.

## What does kurmai mean in Punjabi?

Kurmai means the engagement itself: the ceremony that makes a match formal before the wedding day. The Tales of Tradition account also calls it the sagai, and Wikipedia lists kurmai among the pre-wedding ceremonies of a Punjabi wedding, alongside the roka, sangeet and mehndi. After the kurmai the couple are engaged, and the families turn to fixing the wedding date and preparing the celebrations.

In its Sikh form, one widely followed account describes the kurmai at the groom's home or at a gurdwara, opening with a short prayer by the granthi. A red scarf is placed around the groom's shoulders with dried dates, following the granthi's instructions, and an elder feeds the dates to the groom. The bride's family then offers the groom a kara, the steel bangle, as part of the ritual.

## What happens at a kurmai?

The bride is draped with a phulkari dupatta, which in some families is an heirloom passed down the generations, and she is showered with gifts, especially jewellery, which her future mother-in-law and sister-in-law help her put on. A tiny dot of henna is applied to her palm for good luck. Her father places the tika on the groom's forehead and blesses him, gifts pass between the two families, and everyone present feeds the couple sweets before the rings are exchanged.

## How is kurmai different from roka?

The roka comes first and is simpler. Its name means to stop: it marks the moment the two families accept the match and the couple stop looking at other prospects, and the wedding plans begin. The kurmai is the fuller, formal engagement that follows it, with the dupatta, the tika, the exchange of gifts and the rings. In short, the roka agrees the match, and the kurmai celebrates and seals it.

## Related words

[ਸ਼ਗਨshagunauspicious gift of money or goods given as a blessing, especially at a wedding](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/shagun/)[ਵਿਆਹvyahMarriage; wedding](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/vyah/)[ਅਨੰਦ ਕਾਰਜanand karajSikh wedding ceremony; ceremony of blissful union](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/anand-karaj/)[ਵਿਆਹ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦVyah de ShabdPunjabi wedding words: kurmai, shagun, Anand Karaj, laavan, baraat, jaago, milni and doli in Gurmukhi](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/punjabi-wedding-words/)[ਮਹਿੰਦੀmehndihenna: the reddish brown dye from henna leaves, and the art of painting it on hands and feet](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/mehndi/)[ਚੂੜਾchoodathe bride's set of red and white wedding bangles, gifted by her maternal uncle and aunt](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/chooda/)

Sources (3)
1. [Punjabi wedding traditions, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi%5Fwedding%5Ftraditions)
2. [Punjabi Wedding Rituals, Ceremonies, Attire and More, The Tales of Tradition](https://thetalesoftradition.com/punjabi-wedding-ritual/)
3. [Pre-Wedding Rituals of Punjabi Wedding, Lovevivah Matrimony Blog](https://lovevivah.com/matrimony/blog/wedding-trivia/pre-wedding-rituals-of-punjabi-wedding-full-of-life-excitement/)
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On this page[In short](#in-short)[How it's used](#how-used)[ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਰਥ](#pa-meaning)[What does kurmai mean in Punjabi?](#s-b001)[What happens at a kurmai?](#s-b006)[How is kurmai different from roka?](#s-b008)

Related words[ਸ਼ਗਨ shagunauspicious gift of money or goods given as a blessing, especially at a wedding](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/shagun/)[ਵਿਆਹ vyahMarriage; wedding](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/vyah/)[ਅਨੰਦ ਕਾਰਜ anand karajSikh wedding ceremony; ceremony of blissful union](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/anand-karaj/)[ਵਿਆਹ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ Vyah de ShabdPunjabi wedding words: kurmai, shagun, Anand Karaj, laavan, baraat, jaago, milni and doli in Gurmukhi](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/punjabi-wedding-words/)[ਮਹਿੰਦੀ mehndihenna: the reddish brown dye from henna leaves, and the art of painting it on hands and feet](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/mehndi/)[ਚੂੜਾ choodathe bride's set of red and white wedding bangles, gifted by her maternal uncle and aunt](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/chooda/)

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