Garhwali Wedding Folk Song ‘Gaidan ko Mangal’
Garhwali Wedding Folk Songs for Offering Gifts
By Bhishma Kukreti
(African Wedding Customs, American Wedding Customs, Asian Traditional Wedding Customs, European Wedding Customs, Pacific Region Wedding Traditions)
In Garhwali traditional wedding, there is a folk song for each ritual. These wedding folk songs are called ‘Mangal’ . Mangal means the song of auspicious occasion.
There is a tradition in all traditional Hindu wedding ceremony to offer ‘Caw’ to bride groom as gift from bride’s maternal uncle’s side or parent side. Caw gifting ceremony comes after bride and groom are tied on wedding knot .
Before the Caw gifting ceremony there is worship of caw by parents, maternal uncle, maternal aunt and close relatives. The pundit read the shlokas and people follow the instruction of worshiping the caw . Apart Pundit chanting Shlokas the females village singers and professional female singer sing the song of Gaidan or song of ‘Caw Gifting or Caw donation’. ‘Gai’ means the caw and ‘Dan’ means donation or gift.
गैदान को मांगळ
दे द्यावा पितैजी दे द्यावा पितैजी गौ कन्या दान
दे द्यावा पितैजी गौ कन्या दान ए
जावा ममाजी जावा ममाजी गौ ढूंढी लावा
जावा ममाजी गौ ढूंढी लावा ए
पूरब घूमू पूरब घूमू पछिम घुमु
पूरब घूमू पछिम घुमु ए
उत्तर घूमू उत्तर घूमू दखिण घुमु
उत्तर घूमू दखिण घुमु
चौ दिशुं घूमू चौ दिशुं घूमूं गाई नि मीली
चौ दिशुं घूमूं गाई नि मीली ए
कें दिशा होली कें दिशा होली कामधेनु गाई
कें दिशा होली कामधेनु गाई ए
इन्दर लोक मा इन्दर लोक मा कामधेनु गाई
इन्दर लोक मा कामधेनु गाई ए
ऐ जा गाई ऐ जा गाई मैं मात लोक
ऐ जा गाई मैं मात लोक ए
त्वे बिना गाई त्वे बिना गाई कारज नि होंदो
त्वे बिना गाई कारज नि होंदो ए
तेरा मातु लोक तेरा मातु लोक मुठयूँन मुठयांदी
तेरा मातु लोक मुठयूँन मुठयांदी ए
लात्युं न लत्यान्दो लात्युं न लत्यान्दो जुठो खवान्दो
लात्युं न लत्यान्दो जुठो खवान्दो ए
नी आंदो बरमा जी नी आंदो बरमा जी मै मात लोक
नी आंदो बरमा जी मै मात लोक ए
त्वे मेरी गाई त्वे मेरी गाई न्यूतो बुलौलू
त्वे मेरी गाई न्यूतो बुलौलू ए
न्यूतो बुलौलू न्यूतो बुलौलू पूजी पठौलु
न्यूतो बुलौलू पूजी पठौलु ए
त्वे देलू गाई त्वे देलू गाई रूपा खुरड़ी
त्वे देलू गाई रूपा खुरड़ी ए
त्वे देलू गाई त्वे देलो मिट्ठो भोजन
त्वे देलो मिट्ठो भोजन ए
ममाजी कि गाई ममाजी की गाई दीदी कि कनिया
ममाजी की गाई दीदी कि कनिया ए
गाई गोदान गाई गोदान सोराग समान
गाई गोदान सोराग समान ए
कै दयावो ममाजी कै दयावो ममाजी गाई को दान
कै दयावो ममाजी गाई को दान ए
कै घर होलू कै घर होलू गाई को दान
कै घर होलू गाई को दान ए
जनक को घर होलू जनक को घर होलू गाई को दान
जनक को घर होलू गाई को दान ए
दे द्यादे द्यावा ममाजी दे द्यावा ममाजी सूर्य अर्घ
दे द्यावा ममाजी सूर्य अर्घ ए
कै द्यावा ममाजी कै द्यावा ममाजी गाई की पूजा
कै द्यावा ममाजी गाई की पूजा ए
कै द्यावा ममाजी कै द्यावा ममाजी गाई की परिक्रमा
कै द्यावा ममाजी गाई की परिक्रमा ए
जा मेरी गाई जा मेरी गाई पूजा पठाइ
जा मेरी गाई पूजा पठाइ ए
पूजी पठाइ पूजी पठाइ इन्दर लोक जाई
पूजी पठाइ इन्दर लोक जाई ए
इन्दर लोक जाई इन्दर लोक जाई झूठ ना बोली
इन्दर लोक जाई झूठ ना बोली
In the song, the singers request the maternal uncle of bride to bring Kamdhenu Gay (Kamdhenu Caw). In the song, maternal uncle uncle of bride says that first he could not find Kamdhenu . Brahma jee or the representative of parent’s of bride invites Kamdhenu to come at the wedding point. However, Kamdhenu refuses to come to the earth from Indraloak or heaven because in the earth, people are cruel towards the animals. The song says that people beat the caw, kicks to caw. Brahma jee on behalf of bride’s maternal uncle or parnt makes Kamdhenu understand that they will worship her, they will offer the cover golden cover for cloven hoof, golden cover for horns, and sweet food. The caw donation is very auspicious act. The wedding place is called the palace of king Janak in this song as symbol. The singers also sing the song what pundit jee does in ritual as parents, uncles , aunts, brothers walking around the caw, touching all the four feet of caw etc.
After ‘Caw donation or Gaidan’ .the parents, relatives and friends offer gifts or dowry to bride and groom. Customary dowry used to be bed, beddings, utensils, kitchen appliances, cereals. One kalas is filled with rice as symbol of fertility and auspicate. Usually, no body offers sharp articles and iron metallic utensils.
The Gift offerings to bride and groom is not the tradition of Garhwali wedding only but gift offering to bride-groom is common in all community wedding all over world
Traditional Irish Wedding Gifts;
The traditional Irish wedding gifts include –salt and pepper shakes, tall toasting glasses, porcelain bells, Irish linen , Bellek poetteries , crystal potteries etc.
Japanese wedding gifts by guests:
Guests are supposed to bring gifts for bride-groom. Usually gift is in cash form. In many instances, the amount of gift is instructed on invitation letter as per relationship. The cash is put in special decorative envelope – Shugi-bukuro.
Traditional Vietnamese wedding gifts:
Traditionally each guest is expected to bring gifts in the form of money. In old day, the bride groom used to go on each table of gust and used to collect gifts from guests.
Chinese Wedding Dowry:
The bride’s parents provide dowry and display the same at the time of wedding. In old time, wedding dowry used to be daily uses items such as bedding, linen and dining sets, shoes, socks, table clothe etc.
Filipino wedding Gifts
Giving arinola (chamber pot) is believed to bring good luck to everybody.
Thai dowry
In traditional marriage, before the marriage ceremony, the groom side offer dowry ‘Sin Sod’ to groom’s family. Usually, after marriage ritual, the groom side returns back the dowry to groom family.
Elizabethan Wedding Dowry
In Elizabethan wedding custom, the dowry was offered to groom in the form of money, goods, or property
African wedding Dowry:
African dowry custom differs from tribe to tribe. The dowry may be given from bride side or usually from groom side to bride side. The bride price is fixed before the marriage.
German Wedding old tradition and dowry:
In old time in Germany, when a girl used to take birth, the trees were planted and when the marriage date for girl was fixed the trees were cut to pay dowry for girl’s marriage.
Old Finland Dowry:
The betrothal gifts were in the form of money, goods, gold. In sixteenth century in Finland
Curtsey for Song : Tota ram Dhoundiyal and Mrs shailja Thapliyal , Garhwali mangal
Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti , Mumbai , bckukreti@gmail.com
