Main Piece: After the ceremony starts, a lot of women from the grooms side walk in, holding a brand new sari. The bride takes the sari, leaves, and comes back dressed in the new sari.
Informant Background:
What does it mean: The bride being welcomed into the groom’s family with this garment of clothing they give to her. She is now part of a new family. She’s a new woman.
Where did you learn it: I learned at a wedding that I went to in Canada about a year ago.
What does it mean toyou: It does not mean much to me, it seems to be a tradition that would be more heavily valued amongst the women of both sides of the family.
Context of Performance: Wedding
My Thoughts: It was mentioned by Arjuna in response to a previous wedding custom that the Indian society is so anti-feminist. However, I think that while the society can be identified as Patriarchal, customs such as these show that women are still very heavily valued and respected. A large group of the welcoming family coming with a brand new outfit to welcome their addition to their family is representative of the amount of love she will be given from the family and from the family members. All the women coming with the Sari also shows how many lives her entrance into the family is impacting and how many people are looking to welcome her.
