Indian wedding glossary · The functions
What is Ubtan?
Also written: Batna, उबटन
Ubtan is the paste of turmeric, gram flour, sandalwood and oil or rose water applied to the bride and groom before the wedding, and the name some families give the haldi ceremony itself.
- Who keeps it
- Hindu and Muslim families across North India and Pakistan.
- When
- In the days before the wedding or nikah, often close to the mehndi.
About Ubtan
What should you know about Ubtan?
The recipe changes from family to family: some add milk or curd, some mustard oil, some saffron. Women of the family grind it at home and apply it with songs.
Many Muslim families hold an ubtan or manjha ceremony in the days before the nikah, when the bride is dressed in yellow and the paste is applied by the women of the family.
In the order of functions
Where does Ubtan come in an Indian wedding?
In the days before the wedding or nikah, often close to the mehndi.
- 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 Ubtan?
Ubtan for Riya, Thursday, 12 February, 11 am. Ladies, please wear yellow.
Related words
Words that go with Ubtan
- Haldi
Haldi is the ceremony where relatives apply a paste of turmeric, gram flour and oil or rose water to the bride and groom, each at their own home, to bless them and make them glow.
- 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.
- Mehndi
Mehndi is the ceremony where henna is applied to the bride's hands and feet in detailed patterns, while the women of the family sing, dance and celebrate around her.
- Nikah
Nikah is the Islamic marriage contract, in which the bride and groom each give their consent in front of witnesses and a qazi, the mehr is agreed, and the nikahnama is signed.
- Haath peele karna
Haath peele karna is a Hindi phrase that means to get a daughter married, from the haldi that turns the bride's hands yellow before her wedding.
Questions
Ubtan, answered
What is Ubtan?
Ubtan is the paste of turmeric, gram flour, sandalwood and oil or rose water applied to the bride and groom before the wedding, and the name some families give the haldi ceremony itself.
Which families celebrate Ubtan?
Hindu and Muslim families across North India and Pakistan.
When does Ubtan happen in the order of wedding functions?
In the days before the wedding or nikah, often close to the mehndi.
What do families write on the invitation for Ubtan?
Ubtan for Riya, Thursday, 12 February, 11 am. Ladies, please wear yellow.
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