Indian Weddings are all about having fun! The food, the music, the dance, the exchange of light-hearted taunts between families, the festivity and not to forget, the number of Games and Competitions between the two families.
These games have some or the other interesting rituals attached to them. However, there are a few new games that have been introduced with changing times, these are either inspired by some traditional game or some other common games.
Even a simple, everyday game becomes more interesting when played at weddings, because the entire mood becomes different when all your loved ones are involved and when it comes to family, we Indians, take our competitions very seriously!
Family Antakshari :
The game of Antakshari is very popular in Indian weddings. This does not represent any ritual as such, but it definitely brings every one together. Traditionally, the game is played mainly by one team starting a particular song and the other team following this song with a song that begins with the last letter of the previously sung song, thus defined by its name ‘ant-akshari’ which means the ‘last alphabet’. The team that cannot follow the other team’s song with a new one after a point, loses! There are, however, a number of
variations that have been introduced to this game.
This game is not just fun to play, it is even fun to watch. At times, the audience also start prompting songs to the team that they favor. Everybody enjoys a good round of family antakshari.
Find the Ring :
The game of ‘Finding the ring’ is commonly played among almost all cultures in India. This game is played by the bride and groom. Normally, a bowl full of milk and rose petals is prepared, and the wedding rings are put in along with other small metallic objects in order to confuse the players. The bride and groom are meant to put their hands into the mixture together, and search for the rings (using one hand only). Whoever finds the rings first wins.
According to rituals it is believed that whoever finds both the rings first will have the upper hand in the marriage for life, if both find one ring each, it is believed that there will be a sense of balance in understanding and decision making between the married couple. Now we don’t know whether that is true or not but the game is definitely fun to watch.
‘How well do you know each other?’ Quiz :
This is a relatively new game that is played in Indian weddings these days. It is a lot like the rapid fire round in the popular celebrity interview series ‘Koffee with Karan’. In this game, the girl’s family prepares a questionnaire for the groom and the boy’s family prepares a questionnaire for the bride. These questions are specifically about the bride and the groom like their favorite color..cuisine..holiday destination etc and have to be answered in less than 30 seconds. Whoever answers the maximum number of questions about
the other person correctly wins.So all you brides and grooms out there, start preparing.
Finding The Groom’s Name :
This game is played by the bride and groom after the wedding. The bride traditionally gets the groom’s name inscribed in her mehendi, which the groom has to discover later on.
This game was developed basically for the bride and the groom to get playful and comfortable with each other especially in the case of an arranged marriage.
Hiding the Groom’s Shoes :
When the bride and groom head for the wedding ‘pheras’, they take of their shoes as a matter of reverence for the chants. Taking the advantage of this situation, the brides sisters and female cousins, steal the Groom’s shoes and hide them somewhere.In order to get his shoes back, the groom has to pay a certain amount of money to the girls after a traditional round of negotiation.
From being a light hearted ‘welcome to the family’ prank played on the groom by his ‘saalis’ [bride’s sister(s)/cousin(s)], this game has become a ritual now where the whole family tends to get involved and have a great laugh.
wedding dance Dance Competition :
What is an Indian wedding without a few maddening rounds of dance? We are a culture, always awaiting a reason to dance..aren’t we?
A dance competition between the two families could perhaps be the best way of having an entertaining and eventful day. This game could be played on any of the days, but it is usually played either on the sangeet/ d.j night or on the reception/cocktails. This one is perhaps the most exciting victory for the family which wins.
Untie the knot :
Many cultures across India play this game of ‘untying the thread’. The rules involve tying a sacred red thread around one of the brides wrists and likewise on one of the grooms wrists. When the game begins, the bride is meant to untie the thread tied around the groom’s wrist and the groom has to do the same for the bride. But, it is not as simple as it may sound, the fun begins with the rule that they both have to perform their task with ONE HAND ONLY!
Whoever wins is believed to have the upper hand in the household decision making..but mind it, one hand only!
There are many other culture specific wedding games played in different parts of the country. For example a rasogulla eating competition is held between the two families in Bengali weddings. The family that eats the maximum number of rasogulla wins. Similarly a lassi drinking competition between families is held in some Punjabi weddings where the family that drinks the maximum amount of lassi wins.
Tossing the bouquet is an old traditional wedding ritual where the bride tosses the bouquet that she has held throughout the wedding, at a bunch of unmarried girls, whoever receives the bouquet is believed to be getting married next. This ritual qualifies as a game now as girls catch or dodge the bouquet at will. This tradition is again similar to the kaleera ceremony held in a Punjabi wedding where the bride shakes the kaleerein tied around her wrists over the heads of all the young girls at the wedding, whoever receives a part of the kaleerein over her head is believed to be getting married next.
Reference — http://myshaadi.in/main/indian-wedding-blog/view/50/List-of-fun-Wedding-Games
