Indian weddings are perhaps the most lively and colourful of all weddings around the world. A lot of attention is paid to the attire and jewellery being worn by the bride and the bridegroom, as well as the guests. But the maximum amount of importance is given to the colours of the clothes of the bride during and after marriage, as these colours symbolize the meaning of marriage and the period after it.
In Indian culture, colours hold a very important place and most auspicious occasions are inextricably linked to the brighter colours like red, yellow, orange, green, etc. Indian brides usually wear red, as it stands for the colour of ‘Shakti’, which is the strength embodied in females. Red is also a colour which denotes good luck and prosperity, as well as new beginnings. Along with these, according to astrology, the planet of marriage is Mars. Incidentally, it is also red in colour, signifying prosperity, fertility, strength and vigour.
For an Indian bride, marriage means the beginning of a new chapter in her life and a very significant change. She has to leave the security of her parents’ house and start building her own family in a new surrounding. It’s a phase of her life where she will require positive energy and maintain an aura that can help her adjust to her new life.
It is to address this need that she is advised to wear bright and cheerful colours, along with ornaments like bangles and anklets, which make pretty and pleasant sounds. In India, brighter colours stand for qualities like auspiciousness, purity, prosperity, happiness, competence and peace of mind. Some bright colours like yellow are also known to help in warding off evil spirits or negative energy, which is considered crucial for a newly wedded bride.
As for items of jewellery, like bangles and anklets, it is necessary to wear them because they make a soft harmonizing sound, which produces positive energy around them. It is the creation of this positive sound energy that wind chimes are also considered favourable in a house.
Thus, the reason for being a brightly attired newly married Indian woman goes beyond mere decorative purposes and carries a deeper meaning. Hence, colours are essential instruments that help the new bride harness positive energies that she will need for this new and substantial journey of her life.