Indian wedding glossary · Before the wedding
What is Gol dhana?
Also written: Gol dhana ceremony, Gujarati engagement
Gol dhana is the Gujarati engagement ceremony, named after the jaggery (gol) and coriander seeds (dhana) that are shared with guests after the match is sealed.
- Who keeps it
- Gujarati Hindu and Jain families.
- When
- Weeks or months before the wedding.
About Gol dhana
What should you know about Gol dhana?
The groom's family visits the bride's home with gifts and sweets. The couple exchange rings, and each receives blessings from the elders of the other family. Then small bowls of coriander seeds mixed with jaggery go round to everyone present.
Some families follow it with a chundadi, when the groom's family gives the bride a saree. It is usually a small, warm family occasion.
In the order of functions
Where does Gol dhana come in an Indian wedding?
Weeks or months before the wedding.
- Before the weddingFixing the match, the engagement, the date and the card.
- The functionsPujas, haldi, mehndi, sangeet and the family days before the wedding.
- Wedding day ritualsFrom the baraat to the pheras, nikah and anand karaj.
- After the weddingVidaai, the new home, the reception and the first visits.
Planning your own days? The free wedding function order planner puts your functions in a sensible order with dates.
On the card
What do families write on the invitation for Gol dhana?
The Patel and Shah families invite you to the gol dhana of Riya and Arjun on Sunday, 12 January, at 6 pm.
Related words
Words that go with Gol dhana
- Sagai
Sagai is the Hindi word for the engagement ceremony, where the bride and groom exchange rings in front of both families and the wedding is formally announced.
- Mandvo
Mandvo is the Gujarati word for the wedding canopy, and the mandvo or mandap mahurat is the puja when that canopy is set up and blessed before the wedding.
- Mameru
Mameru is the Gujarati custom where the bride's maternal uncle (mama) brings gifts for her, traditionally including her wedding saree, called the panetar, and her bangles.
- Ponkhvu
Ponkhvu is the Gujarati welcome of the groom, where the bride's mother greets him at the entrance with an aarti and playfully tries to catch his nose.
- Grah shanti
Grah shanti is a puja to the nine planets (navagraha), held by each family before the wedding to seek peace and good fortune for the couple's life together.
Questions
Gol dhana, answered
What is Gol dhana?
Gol dhana is the Gujarati engagement ceremony, named after the jaggery (gol) and coriander seeds (dhana) that are shared with guests after the match is sealed.
Which families celebrate Gol dhana?
Gujarati Hindu and Jain families.
When does Gol dhana happen in the order of wedding functions?
Weeks or months before the wedding.
What do families write on the invitation for Gol dhana?
The Patel and Shah families invite you to the gol dhana of Riya and Arjun on Sunday, 12 January, at 6 pm.
Put Gol dhana on your invitation with its date, time and venue, and send it on WhatsApp. Two invitation designs are free forever.
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