Indian wedding glossary · The functions
What is Grah shanti?
Also written: Graha shanti puja, ग्रह शांति
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.
- Who keeps it
- Gujarati and Marathi Hindu families, and many other Hindu families.
- When
- One or two days before the wedding, after the Ganesh puja and usually before the pithi or haldi.
About Grah shanti
What should you know about Grah shanti?
A priest performs a havan with offerings of ghee and grains while chanting mantras for each planet. The bride and her family do it at their home, and the groom and his family at theirs.
Gujarati families usually hold it a day or two before the wedding, often on the same day as the mandvo. Many Marathi and North Indian families include it too.
In the order of functions
Where does Grah shanti come in an Indian wedding?
One or two days before the wedding, after the Ganesh puja and usually before the pithi or haldi.
- 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 Grah shanti?
Grah shanti puja, Friday, 13 February, 9 am. We seek your blessings.
Related words
Words that go with Grah shanti
- Ganesh puja
Ganesh puja is the prayer to Lord Ganesha, remover of obstacles, that many Hindu families hold before any wedding function so that everything goes smoothly.
- 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.
- Havan
A havan is the sacred fire lit in the centre of the mandap; in a Hindu wedding Agni, the fire, is the divine witness to the vows, and the couple make offerings into it.
- Pithi
Pithi is the Rajasthani and Gujarati name for the haldi ceremony, when a paste of turmeric and gram flour (pithi) is applied to the bride or groom by the family.
- Kundli milan
Kundli milan is horoscope matching, where a priest or astrologer compares the bride's and groom's birth charts before the families agree to a match.
Questions
Grah shanti, answered
What is 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.
Which families celebrate Grah shanti?
Gujarati and Marathi Hindu families, and many other Hindu families.
When does Grah shanti happen in the order of wedding functions?
One or two days before the wedding, after the Ganesh puja and usually before the pithi or haldi.
What do families write on the invitation for Grah shanti?
Grah shanti puja, Friday, 13 February, 9 am. We seek your blessings.
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