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Vidai,marks the departure of the bride from her parental home to start her new life with her husband and his family. The parental home is represented by the mandap.
The Vidai ceremony typically takes place at the end of the wedding ceremony or the day after. It is an emotional and sentimental moment, filled with both joy and sadness as the bride bids farewell to her family and childhood home.
During the Vidai ceremony, the bride is accompanied by her parents, siblings, and other close family members as they prepare to send her off to her marital home. Traditionally, but not always the bride is seen off in a beautifully decorated vehicle or carriage called a “doli.” The doli may be carried by male family members or driven by a chauffeur.
The Vidai ceremony holds significant symbolism:
Transition and Acceptance: Vidai symbolizes the bride’s transition from her parental home to her husband’s home. It represents her acceptance into her new family and her readiness to embrace her new role as a wife.
Emotional Farewell: Vidai is a poignant moment where the bride and her family experience mixed emotions of happiness and sorrow. It signifies the bride leaving behind her childhood home, family, and familiar surroundings to embark on a new journey.
Blessings and Good Wishes: During Vidai, the bride’s family showers her with blessings, good wishes, and love. They offer their heartfelt prayers for her happiness, prosperity, and a successful married life.
Symbolic Release: The act of the bride leaving her parental home and stepping into the doli represents her departure from her past life and the beginning of her new life as a married woman. It signifies the end of one chapter and the start of another.
Vidai holds deep emotional and cultural significance in Indian weddings. It signifies the culmination of the wedding festivities and marks the bride’s official entry into her marital life. While it can be an emotional moment, it is also a celebration of new beginnings and the start of a new journey for the bride and her husband.
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