It means a union of two families as two souls tie knots! And so, often the joota chupai ritual are intended to bring the two families together in a bond of fun and understanding! And it is herein where the concept of “joota chupai ritual” comes in!
To me, joota chupai is perhaps almost the most happening part of the entire wedding because it involves such excitement and adventure!
This fun practice involves the bride’s sister and the rest of the close biological relatives in shrouding the groom’s shoes while the groom’s part of the family tries to save it from theft!
O! Sheer Fun!! And thereafter, the bride’s side of the family demands a ransom in exchange for the shoes. Here, what is most hilarious is in spite of the entire wedding extravaganza, the groom’s side negotiates the sum!
Since I am personally in love with joota chupai tradition.
The bride’s side here’s a favour – a few tried and tested and executed methods of shoe – stealing…
SO AS GUY’S READ IT HARD, GIRL’S READ IT SMART!!!
METHOD 1: The Photo Session Method:
Well, here’s the one for all photoholic ‘jijus’. Get to the stage where the bride and groom are sitting or snapping memories with family! Insist on getting a few selfies clicked! As he adjusts himself for the perfect pose, distract him, hide him and whatever that is needed to keep him engaged and engrossed! Grasp the perfect moment and steal it from underneath the chair!
If he is wearing them still, hide him from the picture, ask him to rise up and there you go!! Keep the confusion going so that he never gets the hint that he has been robbed off! And yess! It is very important that you do not make your intentions obvious! Cool naa!!
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METHOD 2: An UNDERCOVER Agent!!
Yess! Yess! I mean it… Aren’t there kinfolks whose identity is relatively obscure, like a bride’s friend’s sister, or the bride’s sister’s boyfriend!! Well! Here’s when they can be put to use!! Employ them to pretend as someone from the groom’s side of the family.
METHOD 3: Sweetness Overprized:
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Another trick that you could apply is to use your sweetness and innocence to your advantage and win over a close and light-headed relative of the opposite side, to claim the win in this ritual. Tell them how important it is you and that you had been waiting for this day to arrive over the years. There is no way, they could just say “No!” to bride’s cute and adorable sissies. That person could keep you updated about the shoes whereabout always keeping you steps ahead of the “ladka walas“. Smart haan!
METHOD 4: Trade With The Panditji:
The panditji who would be conducting the ritual of the ceremony is usually from the bride’s end. Make arrangements to please him! Say, get him a bowl full of laddus. And then finally make the stroke! Ask him to make the groom to off his shoes as he ascends the altar to be a part of some ritual. And here’s your chance! Make sure you have a pre-decided chain where you can pass on the shoes, as the groom side in all probability would be chasing you! Also, you could pass on the each of the pairs to two different chain members.
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METHOD 5: Hum Aaapke Hain Kaun? Joota Chor
If you cannot figure out or hatch out any of the possible ways, do not lose heart. Keep it simple and straight and call them up for a tug of war. Hence it is meant for fun, it is just a ritual and not a competition, so therefore you could give it a traditional avatar by using a ‘dupatta’ instead of a rope!
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Now that I presume that you’ve been successful in stealing them, it comes to hiding. Hide it in a very visible place, somewhere their eyes will not fall on! Let say, in the ocean of shoes, itself!!!
But guys what, if at all, you could hide the bride herself! Then definitely, ‘Paise do, dulhan lo…!” would have given you a higher shopping budget than “Paise do, joote lo…!”
Good luck folks with our awesome sweet and naughty Indian tradition of joota chupai ritual!