The pandemic and the resulting precautions in place have changed the existing wedding trends, drastically. The families are not only inviting a limited number of guests at the weddings but are also keeping it simple, thanks to the Covid restrictions.

Although many weddings have taken place during the Covid period in Bihar, what remains the talk of the town is the one solemnised in Banka district last week when a groom came for the wedding alone on a bicycle! He reached the bride’s home without any wedding procession.

The wedding of Gautam Kumar, a resident of Ucchagaon village in Banka district, had been fixed with Kumkum Kumari from Kanchnapur village in neighbouring Bhagalpur district, last year.

The wedding was scheduled to be performed last year itself but right in the nick of time, Covid’s first wave hit the region, bringing the country under lockdown. As a result of which the wedding had to be postponed.

The same problem occurred this year too. Even as both the families had begun preparations for marriage, the second wave of the virus came as an obstacle.

Eventually, the groom came with a unique idea. Instead of leading any wedding procession, he himself left for the bride’s home on a bicycle and after driving some 24 kms, he finally reached the girl’s home for the wedding.

The bride’s family members were pleasantly surprised when they saw the groom dressed in suit and pants reaching the wedding venue on a cycle. Eventually, the wedding was solemnised without any pomp and show, dowry and baratis (wedding guests).

The local district administration has announced to reward the couple for this unique wedding. Another very interesting wedding was reported from Begusarai district where the groom and the bride used sticks to place garlands on each other’s neck while wearing facemasks, adopting a rather unique way of maintaining social distancing as a result of Covid outbreak.

Also, a little about 40 guests from both sides were invited to attend the wedding which took place in April when the state was not under complete lockdown. Now that the state has been under total lockdown for the past one month, the state government has fixed the number of guests for weddings too.

Now, a maximum of 20 persons can be invited to the wedding, failing which legal action can be taken. Quite many weddings have been solemnised online too with the groom and the bride staying at two different locations and the clerics performing the wedding. No doubt Covid has destroyed many lives but it has also left some positive impact in the society. As such, in the Covid era, the concept of big, fat wedding has been replaced with small and simple ceremonies. Also, the wedding guests are now being welcomed with attractive masks and sanitisers, instead of flowers and perfumes.