From ritualistic offerings to venue decorations to bespoke floral accessories, here’s how flowers have been used in weddings throughout history…
Flowers have been an intrinsic part of wedding ceremonies worldwide for centuries. Whether it’s for creating floral jewellery worn by brides for their pre-wedding functions in India, flowery extracts and oils used in perfume making to spice up your sex life or essences used to flavour mouth-watering delicacies.
But are they important just for how pretty they look and smell? Not really! Since the Paleolithic times, due to their association with fertility, femininity, and beauty, flowers have been used in wedding and pre-wedding ceremonies. In India, different flowers have played different roles in the rituals surrounding the nuptials. We decided to take a deep dive into all things flowers and the history of weddings in the country. Happy reading!
Flowers were used for decoration and ornamentation purposes during the prehistoric period when humans were mainly forest dwellers. As concepts like God, marriages, rituals, weddings, customs, and the onset of civilisation happened, the usage of flowers in the development of culture became more prominent.
“The earliest evidence of flowers being used in wedding ceremonies have been found during the Vedic and pre-Vedic periods,” says Delhi-based archaeologist and historian Dr Sonika Sandhu, “Archaeological remnants dated 1500 BCE have been excavated at varying sites depicting the Varmala ceremony. Although the flowers used in ceremonies and ornaments varied as it depended largely on their availability, as per the season and the geography of the place, their presence in weddings to symbolise the commitment between two people was still very prominent, irrespective of the natural make-up of the place.”
While a wide variety of flowers are used in Indian weddings, some have been prominently used since ancient times due to their religious and cultural significance. Here are a few prominent ones that you might recognise…
Although over 56 species of the flower marigold, the shades of yellow, orange, and red are most commonly used in Indian weddings and temples. “The flower marigold was a major part of the Pushpa Varsha, or the floral shower, that used to happen during the wedding festivities,” says history and cultural studies professor Dr Pravin Mishra. “The primary reason behind the usage of marigold was the vibrant hues of the flower were also associated with the central planet of the solar system, the Sun, who was believed to ward off negativity and darkness.”
The flower jasmine is associated with love, beauty, and sensuality. In South Indian weddings, these flowers are used for decorating the Pellipoojada, also known as the floral bridal braid, due to their sensuous smell and delicate nature.
“The flower was also used in Shaivite temples to worship the Hindu deity, Lord Shiva,” says Dr Sandhu. “It was mythologically believed to be one of the components of the five arrows that the Hindu god of desire, Kamadeva, carries in his quiver. It was believed that the flower ignited the passion between two people and was used in hair accessories like gajras, flower garland, due to its aphrodisiac properties.”
Tuberose, also known as Rajnigandha or Nishigandha, is a flower that blooms and blossoms at night. Due to its alluring scent and delicate nature, it’s widely used in Indian weddings to curate garlands, hair accessories, and floral ornaments.
“The essence derived from tuberose was described as a divine scent,” says Dr Sandhu. “In some ancient texts, the flower is associated with the God of desire and lust, or Kamadeva and his consort Rati. Due to its strong scent and its association with the god of progeny, it was used in perfume-making properties and garland preparations to kindle the passion and physical intimacy between the newlyweds.”
The widely romanticised flower rose has its origin in China. In ancient times, apart from being used to create floral accessories and decorations, rose essence was extracted to flavour sweetmeats and savouries prepared during wedding festivities in some cuisines.
Roses formed an integral part of hair accessories and garlands. Though culinary historians may find the usage of gulab ka attar (the essence of rose) in Lucknowi and Hyderabadi cuisine to flavour dishes like Biryani, Shahi Tukda, and Gil-e-Firdaus, certain texts also suggest that this essence was used in Rajasthani cuisine by the royal cooks to flavour their dishes. Due to its sweet and delicate smell, rose essence was derived to prepare floral oils, body rubs, and pastes adorned by the bride and the groom during their wedding and pre-wedding festivities.
The flower lotus is associated with purity, devotion, and love in the Hindu and Buddhist cultures. In ancient Indian mythology, the flower is of high spiritual significance due to its association with the Hindu God Vishnu, the preserver, and Brahma, the creator. “While we may find the lotus being used prominently in Indian weddings, temples, and culture, we can also find the prominent usage of lotus in Buddhist weddings,” says Dr Sandhu
“The nature of the flower lotus to rise above the pond in which it grows without accumulating any filth has inspired many core Buddhist philosophies. The flower was used in various rituals and wedding ceremonies because Buddhist monks believed that marriage opened doors to new trials and tribulations, and two people have to rise above their circumstances rather than being victims to them,” she says.
Aside from being a sustainable decor choice, flowers have played a big role in Indian weddings. At the Ambani wedding, we saw how floral capes can be the next big thing when it comes to floral accessories for brides this season. Here are a few ways flowers have been used in weddings throughout history…
As culture began to gain prominence during the early third millennium BCE, people began to imagine god and supernatural powers in varying ways, the method of worshipping the deity and the offering deferred as per the deity’s nature.
“The hues and the inherent properties of the flower were how people associated them with the respective deities. Garlands made of lotus were offered to Gandharvas, whereas flowers of deep red and black hues were offered to malevolent unearthly beings such as the Nagas and the Yakshas,” says Dr Sandhu, “Wedding festivities in the olden days included multiple and extensive rituals to appease various deities, as ancient priests believed it was important to invoke the blessings of all celestial beings before kickstarting a new married life. Hence, various flowers of different sizes and colours were used as offerings to invoke the blessings of different deities.”
Using floral ornaments during wedding festivities is not a new practice, flowers were used to create ornaments like headgear, veils, bracelets, earrings, and bazubandhs, since the historical times. “Ancient texts like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and even the famous play by Kalidas Abigyan Shankuntalam have pointed out the usage of flowers to create ornaments for both men and women,” says Dr Sandhu, “While flowers have been used extensively in Solah Shringar (the sixteen-step makeup processes necessary for a bride, as per the Kamasutra), for men we have ample evidence in Vedic texts and scriptures of the flowers to create Sehra or the headgear veil.”
Ancient texts like Vastu Shastra, Ramayana, and Mahabharata have evidence of the usage of flowers to create the four standing pillars of the wedding mandap demonstrating the four pillars of life dharma, artha, kama and moksha (duty, money, progeny, and spiritual enlightenment). “Although marigold is used extensively in Indian weddings due to its vibrant hues and their association with various gods and goddesses, one can also find flowers used in Muslim weddings during the Quboolnama ceremony. The partition curtain between the men and the women was usually made out of flowers that provided a hazy glimpse of one another,” says Dr Mishra.
The Vatsyayana Kamasutra pinpoints perfume making out of flowers as one of the sixty-four skills, or the chausath kala, which was necessary to learn to be a good partner. “Certain perfumes derived from certain flowers and herbs were anointed at different parts of the bride and the groom’s body to help them smell their best on their wedding day”, says Dr Sandhu. She adds, “Recipes of floral oils and perfumes were safely guarded and passed down to brides by their mothers to lure their husbands and win their affection back if she noticed he had begun losing interest in her.”
Neha Karra is a junior writer, who loves to discover and try the latest trends in style, food and beauty. When she is not curating articles, you will find her playing with kids, reading books, painting and practising Mandala Art. View Profile
