Roka Ceremony: The first function in any Hindu Wedding

The tradition of a roka ceremony is to symbolize the coming together of the two families of the couple. Roka literally means to stop in Hindi. It symbolizes that the search of the families for the boy and girl has stopped. In other words, you can say stamping is officially hooked and booked to both the boy and girl.

Basically, it is a kind of first ceremony where the boy and girl’s families and relatives gather and give approval to relation.  It’s a firm belief to check that both the family should not be of the same gotra.

To ensure that the boy and girl are not from the same gotra, it is customary to check the gotra before the marriage itself. (it is said that weddings within the same gotra are nonreligious and sinful. Therefore, before the roka ceremony, we must call a pandit for the approval of the match.

It’s not a very complicated ritual. It starts with the Tika ceremony (applying roli and rice grain) on the forehead of both boy and girl. In this ceremony girl’s family present a token gift in cash or some gift or some gold Ginni to the boy. Similarly, his family reciprocates this gesture to the girl.

In some families, the two may exchange rings. In this ceremony, the girl is adorned with red chunni by her to be mother in law along with gold jewellery, cash, and clothes. They exchange sweets, and dry fruits and shower blessings on the girl and boy for their happy married life. Milni is also a custom.  In this girl’s parents do milni, a kind of commitment in the form of money in an envelope that is given to the boy’s parents and their relatives followed by some food or refreshments served to all those who are present. The wedding date is announced after the matchmaking by Pandit ji.

Traditionally, it is at the girl’s home. But nowadays depending on the budget and convenience, some families keep it at an elaborate venue like a banquet or restaurant. This ceremony marks the beginning of a future bonding. It is only after this ceremony that the girl and boy are allowed to court.

weddingrituals.blogspot.in