Marathi Matrimony Rituals for the Various Hindu Castes and Communities Marathi people belong to the Indo-Aryan

ethnic group. Since they belong from the state of Maharashtra, they are also popularly known as Maharashtrians. The people from Maharashtra easily distinguished from other Indian communities from their distinctive language and way of clothing. Marathi language is commonly spoken in the state. The people of the state also have rich cultural background. The cities and towns of Maharashtra display their rich cultural heritage in form of architecture, food and literary events. Marathi Matrimony functions also have their own set of rites and functions. The rituals and customs for Marathi Matrimony also differ from region to region. The state of Maharashtra has a good mix of religious and ethnic communities. The majority population in the state follows the Hindu religion. Prominent Hindu castes and communities include the Konkani people, the Koli people, the Goud Saraswat Brahmins, the Maharashtrian Brahmin communities and the Tribal communities of Maharashtra. The Konkani People, as the name say belongs from the region of Konkan in Maharashtra. Konkan is a coastal region that lies in the western part of India. The word Konkan is the derivation of the word Kunkan or Kunkanu. They are united by a common language and speak Konkani. Diverse communities and religions come under the Konkani group. In the Hindu Konkani community, various castes come under it like Karhade Brahmins, Daivadnya Brahmins, Chitpavan Brahmins, Vaishya Vanis, Bhandaris, Shervegar Naayaks, Gavlis and Madvals. The Christian communities of the Konkani region usually are the Mangalorean Catholics and the Karwari Catholics. There are also Muslim communities residing in the region. They have migrated to this region from the nearby regions. Some prominent communities migrated here are the Navayath Muslims of Kumta and Bhatkal regions of Karnataka and the Darji Muslims from the Honavar and Kumta regions in Karnataka. Another Hindu community in Maharashtra following the Hindu Marathi matrimony rituals is the Koli group. The Koli people also fall under the Indo-Aryan ethnic group. The Koli community is spread in other states of India as well like Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The Goud Saraswat Brahmins is another important community following the Hindu religion. They are spread in various parts of Maharashtra but most of them are concentrated in the Konkan region. These Brahmin community from the state has surnames like Chimbalkar, Lotlikar, Haldwanekar, Karlekar, Bhatkar, Salwankar, Tendulkar, Navelkar, Tergaonkar, Juvale, Pai, Kamat, Shenoy, Hegde and Baliga. The Marathi matrimony ceremony for this community includes many events. Some important rituals are Nandi, Varan Appoche, Yedur Kansnani, Nishchaithambul, Urdha Murthu and Kashi Yatra. The marriage rituals also include Havan Purnavati, Lagna, Chautanan, Mandal Virajan and Tulsi Puja.

Some of the tribal communities of Maharashtra also follow the Hindu religion. The Barda tribe, the Dhanka tribe, the Dhodia tribe and the Dubla tribe from Maharashtra practice Hinduism. The Marathi Matrimony customs for these tribes have some common wedding rituals for Hindus of the state. Wedding rituals for the Marathi Matrimony functions usually starts a few days before the actual event. The pre-wedding rituals for the Marathi Matrimony include the Sakhar Puda ceremony and the Kelvan ceremony. Another important ceremony is the Haldi ceremony, which is also known as Halad Chadavane. The Simant puja is held at the brides place. This puja starts once the groom and his relatives come over. The parents of the bride wash the grooms feet and then shower him with gifts. Wedding day rituals in a Marathi Matrimony include Antarpat, Sankalp, Kanyadaan, Vivah Homa, Saptapadhi and Karmasampati. Like all wedding ceremonies, the Marathi Matrimony functions end with a grand feast. Shipra writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is Indias fastest growing Matrimonial website. Jeevansathi.com helps the users to search corresponding matches from their respective community like Marathi Matrimonial, Hindi Matrimony from their online matrimonial and matchmaking services.