Indian Initialization Ritual

Indian love making scene from a south Indian production. On the day of the wedding, the couples’ bedroom is decorated with flowers. It is customary for roses to be laid across the couples’ bed. The groom’s female relatives lead the bride to the bedroom and she is left for some time to await the groom’s arrival. At this point it is common for the groom to stay with his relatives for a while. The groom may be offered a glass of milk during this time. After the relatives have left, the groom enters the bedroom where the bride is waiting. The bride adjusts the edges of her dupatta so that they cover her face. This is known as ‘ghoonghat’. It is customary for the husband to brush the bride’s ghoonghat aside to reveal her face, as one of the first things he does on suhaag raat. ‘Moonh Dikhai’, literally meaning ‘revealing of the face’ is a present that is presented to the bride by her husband on this night. This is generally a piece of jewelery such as a ring or a family ornament.