Weddings are a celebration of love and commitment. It is a celebration of the couple’s religion and culture. Whether you’re invited as a guest or attending as a member of the wedding party, or are simply curious, there are a few of the Hindu wedding rituals and traditions you should be expecting to see.
1. Wedding Date is Determined in the Stars.
Before the wedding pandit fixes an auspicious time known as the Muhartam and this time is fixed for the event. Using bride and groom’s dates of birth astrologists calculate the position of planets and stars, to reflect the celestial union of the couple. Kundalies are being matched. During this ceremony, gautra of both bride and groom going back at least four generations are being announced. A gautra is ancestors lineage . There is a rule in Hindu law that marriages should not take place within the same clan.
2 Few days before weddings there is a function called sangeet . The Weddings pre-party called the sangeet where family comes together to sing, dance and play party games. Family members even give performances! The bride’s family sings a traditional folk song to the groom’s family to welcome the groom’s family. Then sangeet, which translate songs and sung altogether takes place .Then mehandi ceremony that kicks off the wedding itself.
3. Bride’s Hands and Feet are designed with Henna Paint during a Mehendi Ceremony.
This mehendi ceremony, which also takes place in Muslim weddings, henna is used to apply various designs to the bride’s hands and feet. The mehndi ceremony usually takes place one day before marriage will be held, as the application of mehandi can take hours to dry.
4. The Couple Wedding takes place under a Mandap.
The wedding mandap is a auspicious structure constructed for the purpose of the marriage ceremony. It may appear on elevated platform, and it is decorated with anything with flowers and greenery to fabric and crystals.
5. A Fire Burns in the Center of the Mandap.
Bride and Groom during ceremony stand Im the center of the mandap, or wedding altar, a fire is kindled. A Hindu marriage is a sacrament, not an official contract. To signify the viability of the auspicious ceremony, the fire is kept as a witness and offerings are made. Then the bride’s brother gives three fistfuls of puffed rice to the bride as a wish for his sister’s happy marriage. Every time the bride offers the rice to the fire. This offering is also known as a homam.
6. The Couple Exchanges Floral Garlands during the Jai Mala bride and groom.
This is the part of the ceremony during which the bride and groom exchange their floral garlands. This expresses the desire of the couple to marry each other and be together. In the U.S. the ring ceremony usually follows.
7. The Father of the Bride Pours Water through the Bride’s Hand As He Gives Her Away.
There is moment where the father gives the bride away. It is known as the kanyadaan. In the Hindu tradition, no man can claim a woman until she is being offered. During the ceremony, the father of the bride places his daughter’s hands into the groom’s hands as a gesture of giving her away to him.
The father of the bride also pour water into the bride’s hand, which flows through her fingers and into the hand of her groom.
8. The Bride and Groom’s Garments are Tied Together as They Circle a Fire.
The saptapadi is an very important ritual in North Indian Hindu weddings. During the saptapadi, the bride and groom usually have their garments tied together. In South India, the couple walks seven steps together to signify their relationship. In North Indian tradition, they make seven circles around a ceremonial fire, each and every round signifying a specific blessing they request of the gods. The main significance of saptapadi is establishing relationship, which is the basis of a Hindu marriage.
In this way all the rituals are performed and an auspicious occasion of wedding takes place.