The Maiya Ceremony | Punjabi Wedding Culture
9.12.2011
The Maiya (in regards to marriage):
A religious marriage ceremony among Sikhs. Traditionally conducted in Punjabi with strong reflections of Punjabi culture.
I love observing the customs and traditions of various cultures and few are as intimate the ones that surround marriage ceremonies. It is even better when the family is as closely knit as this Pam & Sanjiv’s, who all made the trip down to Mexico to celebrate the joyous occasion.
The wedding ceremony is held in a 7 step process. During this Maiya, it’s suppose to be taken at each others houses and the pre-married couples are not allowed not leave their home or change their clothes as the Vatna (a paste of powdered turmeric and mustard oil) is applied. The day of the wedding both couples then go through a bath.
To keep things simple it was decided that the family would keep them together and apply lotion instead!
By the way, never get your friends to do it. As you can see from the photos below, they took full advantage of the opportunity!
It is my deepest hope these photos convey even a fraction of the love and support shown that day.
Tomasz Wagner
Mananetwork
