The Use of Gold in Indian Weddings
Indians spend record amounts on wedding jewellery every year and with costs rising and the economies falling it is becoming more and more difficult every year. It is customary in a number of Hindu sects to provide jewellery as a dowry to the family taking in the bride. In fact it is customary in a number of cases that the bride is dressed up in a least a kilo of gold jewellery, it doesn’t matter in what form this gold comes in whether it’s a ring, necklace or bracelet, it simply required. Obviously the more gold that is given the higher the social status as such is deemed.
Demand for Gold in India is exponential and not just by residents of India but also expatriates who travel there looking for good deals on gold wedding jewellery. As wedding season nears the demand for gold will rise rather largely as this amount of gold is not easily acquired. Gold as an asset is very valuable and a lot Indians believe that in a life or death situation their children can use it as a bargaining chip in future life or even now.
With the recession looming over our heads a number of non resident Indians are tightening their belts when it comes to budgeting for an Indian wedding as it is becoming more and more difficult to sustain such costs. Remember it is not just the gold that Indian parents have to provide to the bride but they also have to provide them with a dowry which includes items like appliances, clothing, cars and even cash gifts aswell.
For a number of Indian parents it is a difficult time to enjoy their sons or daughters wedding as they have to engage in this social stigma that for the poorer parents could practically bankrupt them. As an eye opener imagine this that there are nearly 10 million weddings a year in India and if not all but most will have masses of gold somewhere along the lines. If you think that the main focus of an Indian wedding is just gold then you are very much mistaken as not only are the bride and grooms family involved but their guests also come away with something aswell. In many Indian weddings main guests are given wedding favors, clothing (normally a shirt) and even fed with a very expensive menu.
There are now many organisations in India that are coming together to help and educate people that it is unnecessary for such large expensive weddings, especially for people in smaller villages that live off the farm land that surrounds them. These groups are generally based around reducing the costs and usage of gold as it is completely unnecessary and that social status should not be judged on this. Despite the above an Indian wedding is definitely one to see as there are so many people involved in the day and everyone is different. There are so many people involved aswell with the average number of wedding guests reaching nearly a 1000 people at times.
Author Bio: Queens and Bowl, specialists in Wedding Jewellery.
Category: Marriage
Keywords: wedding jewellery