Another popular north Indian tradition is Baasi Jawari or Joothe Churana (stealing the
shoes). The bride’s sisters hide the groom’s shoes, and demand the groom money to
have them returned. Apart from all the fun, many pujas (prayers) are performed by the
bride and the groom on the day of the wedding. The bride does a Gowri puja
(worshipping the Indian goddess Parvathi), and the groom does a Ganesh puja
(worshipping the elephant headed Indian deity Ganesha), to gain their blessings, so that
the entire wedding runs smoothly without any hurdles.