Kashmir & Ishveer

I love Indian ceremonies, they’re always beautiful and fun. So I thought it might be a nice idea for me to try and explain the events that unfolded on December 22nd.

So think of a Roka Ceremony as an Engagement Ceremony but without rings.

This ceremony is the first to occur in a series of festive wedding events. A Roka ceremony is one of the first rituals a Sikh couple undertake before marriage. This signals the acceptance of the relationship by the couples’ parents and family.

A Roka ceremony takes place before marriage, and all the family and friends gather to bless the couple.

Typically, the ceremony is done in 2 parts.

The first involves the females’ parents and other family members visiting the house of the male with sweets and gifts for the family.

A small prayer is conducted and the females’ parents feed the male sweets and give their blessings.

They are followed by the rest of the visiting family.

The next ceremony is held at the female’s house. (So this is what is photographed below)

The male arrives with his family bearing sweets and gifts.

The female is blessed by the male’s family, before both sets of parents bless the couple together by feeding sweets and placing a mark made of a turmeric paste on the foreheads of the couple.

The celebration then continued with dinner, music and dancing.

And then for me it all finishes with the photographer gorging on the most amazing vegetarian buffet of gloriously tasty food and going back for seconds! ha!

Congratulations Kashmir and Ishveer, exciting times ahead!