Indian wedding glossary · After the wedding
What is Vidaai?
Also written: Bidaai, bidai, विदाई
Vidaai is the farewell of the bride from her parents' home after the wedding, when she leaves with the groom for her new home.
- Who keeps it
- Hindu families across North and Central India; Bengali, Muslim and other families have their own farewell.
- When
- After the pheras and the last rites, often early in the morning after a night wedding.
About Vidaai
What should you know about Vidaai?
In many North Indian families, the bride throws handfuls of rice or puffed rice back over her head as she walks out, a wish that her parents' home stays full. Her family walks her to the car, and it is often the most emotional moment of the wedding.
Vidaai songs are a whole genre of their own. Many brides and their families now plan the moment with care, choosing the song and who walks beside her.
In the order of functions
Where does Vidaai come in an Indian wedding?
After the pheras and the last rites, often early in the morning after a night 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 Vidaai?
Rarely printed; cards sometimes end with: Vidaai: Sunday, 15 February, 6 am.
Related words
Words that go with Vidaai
- Doli
A doli is the palanquin that once carried a bride from her parents' home to her new home, and "doli" is still the word for the bride's departure at vidaai.
- Kanakanjali
Kanakanjali is the Bengali farewell ritual where the bride, as she leaves, throws a handful of rice and coins over her shoulder into her mother's saree without looking back.
- Rukhsati
Rukhsati is the bride's departure from her parents' home after the nikah in Muslim weddings, when she leaves with the groom and his family.
- Griha pravesh
Griha pravesh is the welcome of the new bride into her husband's home, when she gently tips over a kalash of rice with her right foot at the threshold and steps inside.
- 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.
Questions
Vidaai, answered
What is 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.
Which families celebrate Vidaai?
Hindu families across North and Central India; Bengali, Muslim and other families have their own farewell.
When does Vidaai happen in the order of wedding functions?
After the pheras and the last rites, often early in the morning after a night wedding.
What do families write on the invitation for Vidaai?
Rarely printed; cards sometimes end with: Vidaai: Sunday, 15 February, 6 am.
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