Haldi Invitations and Haldi Card Designs
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What Is Haldi, and Why Is Turmeric Used?
Weddings are momentous occasions, full of laughter, music and celebrations. In India across different regions, different religions we have distinct rituals and customs for weddings. However one humble and fragrant spice “Turmeric” has been embraced and accepted by all to be an auspicious and integral element in a wedding celebration.
Turmeric with its medicinal properties is not just believed to cleanse the skin and bring a bridal glow to the couple but is also believed to ward off the evil eye. Almost all weddings start with a ceremony where ritualistic baths are given to the bridal couple by near and dear where a paste predominantly made of turmeric is applied perhaps with a prayer for good fortune and happiness in their new beginnings.
Haldi is the pre-wedding ceremony where family and close friends apply a turmeric paste to the bride and groom, usually at two separate gatherings, to bless them, brighten their skin, and ward off the evil eye before the wedding.
Turmeric has been used this way since the Vedic era, prized for its cleansing and antiseptic qualities long before it became a wedding ritual. The paste itself is simple: turmeric powder mixed with sandalwood, rosewater, mustard oil or milk, sometimes with a spoon of gram flour for texture. Its deep golden colour carries its own meaning too: yellow is considered auspicious across Indian tradition, standing for prosperity and a bright start to married life, which is part of why the ceremony is such a joyful, photogenic one rather than a solemn ritual.
Haldi is known by dozens of different names once you leave the pan-North-Indian framing, Maiyan in Punjab, Nalugu in Andhra and Telangana, Gaye Holud in Bengal, and more. The full breakdown of who calls it what, and how the ritual itself changes from community to community, lives further down this page.
Haldi is one of several pre-wedding functions on a typical Indian wedding calendar, alongside engagement invitations and Mehndi, all part of the broader wedding invitation cards and videos Pikaaso covers.
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What Happens at a Haldi Ceremony, and Who Applies the Paste?
At a Haldi ceremony, the couple’s married female relatives, led by mothers and aunts, apply turmeric paste to the bride and groom’s face, arms and feet while singing and blessing them, usually followed by a playful “haldi fight” and a ceremonial bath.
- The paste is prepared. Turmeric powder is mixed with ingredients such as sandalwood, rosewater, mustard oil, milk or gram flour, the exact recipe depends on family and regional custom.
- The bride and groom are seated, usually separately. Most families still hold the bride’s and the groom’s Haldi at their own homes on the same or different days, though many couples today combine the two into one shared celebration.
- Married women apply the paste first. Mothers, aunts and sisters lead, dabbing turmeric onto the face, arms, hands and feet while singing traditional songs, this is treated as a blessing, not just a task.
- Wider family and friends join in. Once the senior women have gone first, everyone present takes a turn, and the mood usually turns playful, expect a haldi fight where the paste ends up flying.
- The couple bathes and rests. After the application, the bride and groom take a ceremonial bath to wash off the paste. In many traditions, they’re expected to stay home and skip stepping out in public until the wedding itself.
Exactly who applies the paste, and in what order, shifts from family to family and community to community, treat this as the general shape of the ceremony rather than a fixed script. The regional names section below has more detail on how specific communities handle it.
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What Should You Wear to a Haldi Ceremony?
Yellow, mustard and gold are all considered traditional Haldi colours for the bride, groom and guests alike; orange, peach and ivory-with-yellow-accents are popular alternatives.
For the bride: most brides go with a kurta set or a light lehenga or saree in a breathable fabric like cotton, georgette or chiffon. Heavier bridal silks are usually saved for later functions, since turmeric stains and floor seating are both part of the day. Some brides now choose all-white instead, so the turmeric shows up more dramatically against the fabric in photos, a growing trend rather than a rule.
For the groom: a simple yellow or white kurta pyjama is the most common choice.
For guests: there’s more flexibility. A plain yellow kurta with jeans works for a casual Haldi, while a full kurta set or a light saree suits a more formal one. Pastel shades in the yellow-orange family are always a safe bet if you’re unsure.
Jewellery and footwear: most families keep jewellery minimal for this function, floral jewellery made of marigold or jasmine is a popular bridal choice specifically for Haldi. Footwear should be flat and practical, embroidered juttis, kolhapuris or simple sandals, since these ceremonies often happen outdoors, on a lawn, or with everyone seated on the floor.
These are conventions most families follow, not hard rules, if the hosts have a specific dress code in mind, it’s worth checking before you shop.
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What Is Haldi Called in Other Communities and Regions?
Haldi goes by a different name in nearly every Indian wedding tradition, though the turmeric paste, family blessings and pre-wedding glow are shared threads running through almost all of them.
Hindu Haldi (the baseline)
In most North Indian Hindu weddings this ceremony is simply called Haldi. Turmeric paste, usually mixed with sandalwood, rosewater or milk, is applied to the bride and groom a day or two before the wedding by family elders. It’s the version most other regional names and variations build on.
Punjabi Maiyan / Vatna
Punjabi households, Hindu and Sikh alike, call this ceremony Maiyan or Vatna (also spelled Batna). The couple sits on a low patri under a red cloth held by four women while a turmeric paste mixed with gram flour and mustard oil is rubbed onto their face, arms and legs. It’s a Punjabi regional custom rather than a rite tied to one religion, so you’ll find it at both Hindu and Sikh Punjabi weddings.
Looking for that community specifically? Browse our Punjabi and Sikh wedding invitations.
Telugu Nalugu
Telugu weddings call this the Nalugu ceremony, held the day before the wedding, where turmeric and oil are applied to cleanse and brighten the bride and groom’s skin. It’s often confused with Mangala Snanam, but the two aren’t the same: Mangala Snanam is the ceremonial bath taken on the wedding morning itself, with turmeric and milk in the bathwater, rather than a paste applied the day before.
Malayalam Manjal Kalyanam
In Malayalam, this ceremony is called Manjal Kalyanam, “manjal” meaning turmeric (some Kerala Hindu sources also use “Nalunniyattu”). The paste typically combines turmeric, coconut oil and neem leaves, reflecting Kerala’s Ayurvedic traditions. Worth knowing: an elaborate, Haldi-style function is a newer addition to many Kerala weddings, borrowed from North Indian custom, rather than an old fixture of Malayali weddings.
Tamil Nalangu
Tamil weddings call this Nalangu, also spelled Nalungu, held separately at the bride’s and groom’s homes the day before the wedding. Turmeric and sandalwood paste is applied while the couple sits on a wooden plank, and the ceremony often closes with a lighthearted aarti using turmeric water to ward off the evil eye.
Maharashtrian Halad Chadavane
In Maharashtrian weddings, this is Halad Chadavane. Five married women called Suhasinis grind the turmeric themselves, then apply the paste, mixed with oil, milk, sandalwood and gram flour, to the groom first, before carrying the same paste over to the bride.
Marwari Pitthi Dastoor
Marwari families call this Pitthi Dastoor. The paste, turmeric with sandalwood, rosewater and mustard oil, is applied across the face, arms and feet at the bride’s and groom’s homes separately, families vary on the exact order. Neither is meant to leave the house again until the wedding.
Muslim Mayoun
In many Muslim weddings, especially Pakistani ones, this ceremony is known as Mayoun, the bride’s seclusion period that can begin a week or more before the wedding. The turmeric-application ritual itself, an ubtan of turmeric, sandalwood and herbs applied and left on until the wedding day, is also known as Manjha, a closely related term some families and sources use for the same or an overlapping ritual. Treat Manjha and Mayoun as closely related rather than strict synonyms, usage varies by region and family.
Jain Bana Betai
Jain families, particularly Marwari Jains, call this Bana Betai, and it uses a besan (chickpea flour) paste rather than turmeric. Married women from both families apply the ubtan, after which the bride and groom take a ceremonial bath. It sits in the same spot in the wedding sequence as Haldi and carries the same purifying intent, just with a different base ingredient.
North Indian Christian Haldaat / Roce
North Indian Christian weddings call this ceremony Haldaat, also known as Roce, held the day before the wedding with a turmeric, oil and sandalwood paste. The recipe changes further south and west: Goan and other western Indian Christian weddings use a coconut paste instead of turmeric for the same ritual, poured over the head and rubbed onto the face, hands and feet before a final bath.
Sindhi Head Bukki (bride) / Saanth (groom)
Sindhi weddings actually have two separate ceremonies here, not one. Head Bukki is the bride’s version, where seven married women apply oil to her hair and turmeric paste to her face and body. Saanth is the groom’s version, where seven married women douse him in oil, and his clothes are then ceremonially torn by his family to mark his passage into married life. They’re paired halves of the same tradition, not two names for the same event.
Bengali Gaye Holud
Bengali weddings call this Gaye Holud, literally “turmeric on the body,” observed by both Bengali Hindus and Bengali Muslims. The bride sits on a dais while guests apply turmeric paste and feed her sweets piece by piece, and a matching ceremony is held for the groom at his own home.
Gujarati Pithi
Gujarati weddings call this ceremony Pithi, a turmeric paste, sometimes mixed with rose water or milk, applied to the bride and groom by married female relatives before the wedding. It’s often held alongside or close to the Mandvo and Griha Shanti puja. Details vary by family, so treat this as a general picture rather than a fixed script.
Every family adds its own touches to these customs, even within the same community. Treat this as a starting point and confirm the specific details with your own elders or officiant.
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What Do You Write on a Haldi Invitation?
A Haldi invitation only needs a handful of details: who’s hosting, the couple’s names, the date, time and venue, and a quick note on the dress code. Everything else is just tone.
The essentials to cover:
- Host names (usually the couple’s parents or close family)
- The couple’s names
- Date, time and venue
- A dress-code line (“wear yellow!”)
- A light-hearted note about the mess (“turmeric stains are part of the fun”)
- An RSVP contact, if it’s a smaller, separate gathering
Some fresh sample lines to adapt, spanning a few different tones:
Formal: “With hearts full of joy, the [Family Name] family invites you to the Haldi ceremony of [Bride] and [Groom], on [Date] at [Time], [Venue]. Come dressed in yellow and ready to celebrate.”
Playful: “Turmeric, laughter, and a whole lot of yellow! Join us as we shower [Bride] and [Groom] with Haldi on [Date], [Time], at [Venue]. Wear something you don’t mind staining.”
WhatsApp-short: “Haldi time! [Date], [Time] at [Venue]. Yellow outfits only. See you there!”
Warm and family-style: “Before the wedding bells, there’s Haldi! Come bless [Bride] and [Groom] with turmeric, songs and good wishes on [Date] at [Venue].”
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Haldi Ceremony: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Haldi ceremony?
Why is turmeric used in the Haldi ceremony?
Is Haldi held on the same day as the wedding, or before it?
Who applies the haldi paste to the bride and groom?
What should I wear to a Haldi ceremony?
Is Haldi held together for the bride and groom, or separately?
What is Haldi called in other communities and regions?
Is the Haldi ceremony the same as Mehndi?
What do you write on a Haldi invitation?
How can I create a Haldi invitation card, video or GIF online?
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Haldi customs, names and rituals vary by family, region and community, so treat the details on this page as general guidance and confirm specifics with your own elders or officiant.
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