Vivah muhurat (wedding date)
A vivah muhurat is the auspicious date and time chosen for a Hindu wedding. It combines a suitable nakshatra, tithi and weekday with the right season and, in many families, the couple’s own Tarabala and Chandrabala.
Also known as: Vivah muhurt, Shaadi muhurat, Wedding muhurat, Marriage muhurtham, Lagna muhurat, Kalyanam muhurtham
Classical texts name eleven nakshatras for marriage: Rohini, Mrigashira, Magha, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Mula, Uttara Ashadha, Uttara Bhadrapada and Revati. Wedding almanacs leave out Shukla Pratipada, Krishna Chaturdashi and Amavasya, and many families also pass over the Rikta tithis; Bhadra and all nine harsh yogas, such as Vyatipata and Vaidhriti, are excluded in full.
The season matters as much as the day. Weddings are traditionally avoided during Kharmas, Chaturmas, Adhik maas, Holashtak and Pitru Paksha, while the Sun is in Cancer, Leo or Virgo, and while Jupiter or Venus is combust, too close to the Sun to be seen. The precise time is then fixed by a strong rising sign (lagna) and, in many families, by the couple’s Tarabala and Chandrabala.
Wedding muhurats cluster in certain months, which is why popular dates book up quickly. A muhurat is separate from Kundli matching: matching asks whether two charts suit each other, while the muhurat chooses the best moment to begin the marriage.