Indian wedding glossary · Wedding day rituals
What is Kanyadaan?
Also written: Kanyadan, कन्यादान
Kanyadaan is the ritual where the bride's parents place her hand in the groom's hand, asking him to care for her as an equal partner, while the priest chants mantras.
- Who keeps it
- Hindu families across India, under different names (kanyadanam in South India, sampradan in Bengal).
- When
- After the varmala and the bride's entry to the mandap, before the pheras.
About Kanyadaan
What should you know about Kanyadaan?
In many families the bride's father places her hand in the groom's palm, and the mother pours water over their joined hands. It is one of the most emotional moments for the bride's parents, who in many families fast until it is done.
Some couples today choose to reword or skip the ritual, or have both sets of parents bless the couple together. Families should do what feels right to them.
In the order of functions
Where does Kanyadaan come in an Indian wedding?
After the varmala and the bride's entry to the mandap, before the pheras.
- 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 Kanyadaan?
Kanyadaan and pheras at the shubh muhurat, 11:15 pm.
Related words
Words that go with Kanyadaan
- Hasta milap
Hasta milap is the joining of the bride's and groom's hands during the wedding rites; panigrahan, its Sanskrit name, means taking the hand.
- Pheras
Pheras are the rounds the bride and groom take around the sacred fire, tied together, with a vow made in each round; in most North Indian weddings there are seven.
- Gathbandhan
Gathbandhan is the tying of a knot between the end of the bride's chunni or saree and the groom's scarf, joining them for the pheras.
- Mandap
A mandap is the canopy, usually on four pillars, under which a Hindu wedding's main rites, such as kanyadaan and the pheras around the sacred fire, are performed.
- Vidaai
Vidaai is the farewell of the bride from her parents' home after the wedding, when she leaves with the groom for her new home.
Questions
Kanyadaan, answered
What is Kanyadaan?
Kanyadaan is the ritual where the bride's parents place her hand in the groom's hand, asking him to care for her as an equal partner, while the priest chants mantras.
Which families celebrate Kanyadaan?
Hindu families across India, under different names (kanyadanam in South India, sampradan in Bengal).
When does Kanyadaan happen in the order of wedding functions?
After the varmala and the bride's entry to the mandap, before the pheras.
What do families write on the invitation for Kanyadaan?
Kanyadaan and pheras at the shubh muhurat, 11:15 pm.
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