Hindu wedding Ceremonies are traditionally conducted at least partially in Sanskrit, the language in which most holy Hindu ceremonies are conducted. The local language of the people involved is also used since most Hindus cannot understand Sanskrit. They have many rituals that have evolved since traditional times and differ in many ways from the modern western wedding ceremony and also among the different regions, families, and castes such as Rajput weddings and Iyer weddings. The Hindus attach a lot of importance to marriages and the ceremonies are very colorful and extend for several days.
In India, where most Hindus live, the laws relating to marriage differ by religion. By the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 passed by the Union Parliament of India, for all legal purposes, all Hindus of any caste, creed or sect, Sikh, Buddhists and Jains are considered as Hindus for the purpose of the Act and can hence intermarry. By the Special Marriage Act, 1954, a Hindu can marry a non-Hindu employing any ceremony provided certain legal conditions are fulfilled.
The pre-wedding ceremonies include engagement (involving vagdana or oral agreement and lagna-patra written declaration), and arrival of the groom's party at the bride's residence, often in the form of a formal procession. The post-wedding ceremonies involve welcoming the bride to her new home.
Just as Hinduism is hard to grasp and contrast against the newer, book-defined, structured religions such as Christianity and Islam, India's prevalent wedding traditions are also hard to categorize purely on a religious basis.
Despite modern Hinduism being largely based on the puja form of the worship of devas as enshrined in the Puranas, a Hindu wedding ceremony at its core is essentially a Vedic yajna (a fire-sacrifice), in which the Aryan deities are invoked in the Indo-Aryan style. It has a deep origin in the ancient ceremony of cementing the bonds of friendship/alliance (even among people of the same sex or people of different species in mythological contexts), although today, it only survives in the context of weddings. The primary witness of a Hindu marriage is the fire-deity (or the Sacred Fire) Agni , and by law and tradition, no Hindu marriage is deemed complete unless in the presence of the Sacred Fire, seven encirclements have been made around it by the bride and the groom together.
The ancient system of Hindu/Vedic marriages did not differentiate between male and female, as is done in modern times.
- The basis for a fulfilling and happy life
Te santu jard—istayah sampriyau royisnu sumansyamanau|
Pasyema sharadah shatam jivema sharadah shatam shrunuyam shardah shatam||
“We should be able to live a graceful life that is full of mutual love and warmth. Our sentiments should be auspicious.
We should be able to see for a hundred years, live a healthy life of a hundred years and listen the music of spring for a hundred years.”
The sage of the above mentioned vedic — aca, has emphasized that the basis of happy and fulfilling married life is the sense of unity, intimacy and love between husband and wife. Thus, marriage is not for self-indulgence, but rather should be considered a lifelong social and spiritual responsibility. Married life is considered an opportunity for two people to grow from life partners into soul mates.
Main rituals
All of the rituals vary based on family traditions. The names of the rituals also vary depending on the area the ritual is performed like south or north india. Specially the rituals are very different from south india to north india.
Prior to marriage
Conducted at the homes of the parents of the bride and the groom.
Engagement
A decision made by the parents in front of the community members to marry their son and daughter, sometimes using a document. Both families will also come to an agreement about the date of the wedding. Both will talk about their families and some details of the wedding or engagement. In Tamil it is called neechiyum , meaning the "confirmation" of both parties agreed without any objection. For example KJ parents visit angel house for neechiyum , and need to prepare some Hindu traditional things like santhanam , kumkum , pannir , veethilai , paaku and so on to be given to the girl's side.
Barni Bandhwana
Approximately 15 days prior to the actual wedding, on an auspicious day, the pundit will perform a puja to Lord Ganesh (the remover of obstacles). During this puja, a piece of mauli (thread) is tied to the hands of the groom, and his parents. This puja is done to humbly request that the wedding happen without any problems, apart from the occasional trivial mishap. After this day, the family performs a puja to Lord Ganesh every day until after the wedding is complete.
Mamara
The mamara is an important ceremony, common to both the bride's and the groom's families. This ceremony is performed by the maternal uncle of the groom/bride, who, along with his wife and family, arrives with much fanfare, and is received by the bride/groom's mother with the traditional welcome.
Sangeet Sandhya
The sangeet sandhya is an evening of musical entertainment. The bride's family puts on a show for the groom and bride. Included as part of this event is an introduction of all the family members for the bride. This is almost always a feature of weddings in North India, but is not considered a staple of weddings in the South.
Tilak Ceremony
Tilak is a mark of auspiciousness. It is put on the forehead using Kumkum, a red turmeric powder. The male members of the bride's family, like her father, brother, uncles place a tilak on the forehead of the groom. This is typically followed by giving some gifts to the groom and the groom's accompanying family members requesting them to take care of the bride later.
Mehendi Lagwana
Another name for "Vivaah" is "haath pila karna" or simply translated, making hands yellow. Mehendi (henna) is applied to the bride’s hands and feet. In the right hand, a round spot is left open for Hathlewa.
During marriage festivities
Barat Nikasi
Main article: BaraatThe groom leaves for the wedding venue riding a decorated horse or elephant. This is a very colorful and grand ceremony. The groom is dressed in a sherwani (long jacket) and churidars (fitted trousers). On his head he wears a sehra (turban) with a kalgi (brooch) pinned onto it (South Indian grooms typically will wear a dhoti instead of a sherwani-churidar , and will not wear a sehra ). The turban usually has flowers extending from it to keep the grooms' face covered during the wedding ceremony.
Before he departs, his relatives apply the ceremonial tilak on his forehead and his sister feeds the horse or elephant sweetened grain. The baraat (consisting of the groom seated on the horse or elephant, and relatives and friends of the groom) is headed by the dancing of the congregated folks. Accompanied by the rhythm of the north Indian dholak , the baraat reaches the place of the wedding.
Upon arriving at the venue of the wedding, the groom is welcomed by a welcome song called talota . Then the groom knocks on the door with his sword and enters.
Var Mala/Jai Mala
In most Hindu weddings, the groom is led to a small stage, known as mandap , where he is greeted by the bride's family. The maternal uncle, brother or brides' best friends bring the bride to the stage. The bride and the groom are handed the garlands while the priest is chanting the religious hymns. Following this, the groom and bride exchange garlands, which are the var mala or jai mala , signifying their acceptance of each other as husband and wife. Then, the groom's mother-in-law measures the groom's chest, and pokes and prods him to make sure he is tough enough to defend her daughter. She then puts kajal on the groom to ward off evil spirits.
Aarti
The baraatis (groom's party) are received by the bride's family and at the entrance to the wedding venue. The bride's mother welcomes the groom by performing the aarti (traditional Indian welcome ritual with a lamp or diya placed on a platter or thali ) to welcome her son-in-law and places a tilak on his forehead
Baasi-Jawari
This event takes place the day of the wedding. The bride's sisters hide the groom's shoes and ask for money if he (groom) wants them back and be able to go home with the bride.
Kanya Daan
Kanya Daan , which means the giving away of one's daughter, has been derived from the Sanskrit words Kanya which means girl and Daan which means donation. Kanya Daan is a
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