The most Surprising wedding ritual - punjabi legends

 India is diverse so are its rituals. Some rituals can truly make your eyes wide open with mouth accompanying it. But today let me take you to ride and explore the oysters from Punjab region. Punjabis are basically known for their heartwarming, hospitable nature and effervescent dance. Being Punjabi and also married in a Punjabi family, I have had first hand experience of one strange ritual. As our Bond successfully completed  the five rounds of sun, I feel Jaunty and spry to sit down in the pool of mirrored moments of that wedding week. Let me unleash the cumulus cloud of memories to the eternity for my readers to acquaint in better way with the Punjabi region. I remember the day after the wedding, that hushed glee of the morning Birds  is still tickling my ear drums. The ritual that I am going to share with my readers is "Chhitiyaan Khedna" or to play with Mulberry sticks.  In the early morning 'Mirasan' came to our house with the beating of drum and singing fork lores  and doing the same, she took the newly wed couple  to the open place for the others to see.  In this weird ritual of chitiyan khedna, all assembled people made a circle then Mirasan asked the husband and wife to come to the centre to play with Mulberry sticks. She gave two sticks to each other. The first turn was of husband to hit his wife seven times with the Mulberry stick. The second chance came into the hands of wife to hit the husband  for the same number of times. With the flash of glow and coyness, the mistress hit her husband in a very modest way. She was holding the Palla of her dupatta and was veiling the face with the same. With the other hand she was hitting at the shank of her husband. After their play, mirasan then called deor ( brother in law) to play the same game with his bhabi.  then the same play continued with the same process of hitting each other with Mulberry sticks. then the couples from neighbouring area reminisced their older times playing and laughing at the same game.  In that burst of laughter, we gave Shagun (money) to the mirasin and in return she blessed all and sundry.  With the Prasad of laddu and khamani (sacred red thread),  then we all went inside Gurdwara Sikh Temple to seek blessings of Lord there we board in front of Shri Guru Granth Sahib then we served 'langer' (food) to all as a nominal price to pay for the bond.