Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: TV And Film, Netflix, Bridgerton
Isobel Pankhurst
In the sixth episode of Bridgerton's second season, the Sharma family are seen preparing for Edwina's upcoming nuptials.
Kate, Edwina and their mother were seen dressed in yellow and slathering a yellow paste onto each other's skin.
This is a part of the haldi, or pithi, ceremony - a holy ritual done prior to weddings in many Indian cultures.
During the ceremony, haldi (turmeric) is mixed with rosewater and gram flour. Friends and family then smear the paste over the bride and groom to bless the union.
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When applied to the skin, haldi is believed to cleanse the body by keeping buri nazar (evil spirits) away.
The women wear yellow for this scene, a colour which is associated with happiness and new beginnings.
In Hindu wedding ceremonies yellow, along with red, are considered the colours most conductive to a successful union.
Although, of course, the union between Edwina Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton couldn't be any less successful than him falling in love with her sister.
Watching the haldi ceremony viewers can also see marigold garlands hanging throughout the room, and these weren't just picked for their yellow colour.
In Indian culture flower garlands are considered pure, and marigolds represent the sun, symbolising brightness and positive energy.
In regards to weddings, marigolds are also closely associated with Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune.
Fans loved the nod to the Sharma family's Indian heritage.
Posting to Twitter, one viewer wrote: "The casting of 2 south asian women as leads in this season of bridgerton has really warmed my heart... the haldi scene... kate oiling edwina's hair...the bangles and indian fabrics 😭😭😭 all the representation is so beautiful and needed."
"I can’t get over how incredible the South Asian representation on #Bridgerton was. The subtle references to the culture without explicitly commenting on their browness — the oil, haldi, bangles, 'Didi,' K3G cover… AND the fact the sisters are dark-skinned… In this essay I will," wrote another.
Another simply posted: "HALDI CEREMONY?!? CRYING"