Hindu weddings are colourful, joyful, and highly religious occasions. According
to Hindu religious beliefs, marriage is considered to be one of the most important
sacraments, and an important step towards spiritual perfection. There are various
rituals and ceremonies associated with a Hindu wedding. These includepre-marriage rituals and ceremonies, as well as those performed
on and after the wedding day. They follow a general pattern, as described here,
but there are many regional variations.
A Hindu marriage ceremony begins with the barat swagat. This is the formal
reception of the groom’s party at either the bride’s home or the wedding
venue. Close relatives from the bride’s side welcome the party first. The
rest of the marriage ceremony is carried out in the mandap. This
is a temporary structure comprising of four posts and a canopy, decorated with
flowers and garlands.
The bride’s father then formally accepts the groom, and the antarpat
is raised. An antarpat is a specially prepared plain or embroidered cloth that
separates the bride and groom. Prayers are then offered to Ganesh, the Hindu god
of good fortune, and to other gods and ancestors.
Next, the Agni, a sacred fire, is lit on the prepared altar. Fire is seen by
Hindus as pure because it cleanses, and the light that comes from it is believed
to symbolise wisdom, which ‘lights up’ the darkness of the mind.
The bride is then escorted into the mandap, often by her maternal uncle. In
some parts of India, the bride’s father gives four garments – two
dhotis and two scarves – to the groom. These garments symbolise long life,
beauty, prosperity, the bearing of sons, and the living of life according to Hindu
dharma (sacred law).
The groom gives one of each to the bride, and keeps the second dhoti and scarf
for himself. Both bride and groom place the dhoti on the right knee and the scarf
on the right shoulder.
The antarpat is removed, and a knot is tied between the scarves of the bride
and groom. This ritual is called gathabandhan, and is one of the most important
parts of the marriage ceremony. While the knot is being tied, priests belonging
to the families of the bride and groom recite, in turn, the ancestry of their
families.
Kanyadan (‘gift of a maiden’) is the giving away of the bride by
her parents, and Panigrahan is the acceptance of her hand by the groom. In the
Hindu belief system, the giving of a daughter to the groom’s family is considered
to be the greatest possible dana (sacred gift).
Kanyadan is performed by both parents of the bride. They place both hands of
their daughter in the hands of the groom. He formally accepts her hands in marriage.
Then the bride and groom place a garland around each other’s neck and recite
prayers. After this ceremony, responsibility for the bride is transferred from
her parents to her husband and his family.
The Mangal phera is then performed. This involves the bride and the groom walking
around the Agni four or seven times – depending on local custom. Current
practice is to circle the Agni four times. This symbolises the
four twenty-five-year stages of life called Ashramas in the Hindu belief system.
The first three circles are led by the bride, and the last by the groom –
signifying that he has assumed social and spiritual responsibility for his bride.
At the end of each circle, the bride’s brother gives puffed rice to the
bride, to put into the Agni. This symbolises the transition from her old family
to that of her new one – the groom’s.
The next part of the wedding ceremony is the saptapadi (‘rite of seven
steps’). This is performed by the bride and groom, who take seven steps
together.
As they proceed, the groom recites aloud: ‘First step for food, second
for strength, third for prosperity, fourth for happiness, fifth for material abundance,
sixth for longevity, and the seventh step is for eternal unity of both.’
The seventh step marks the completeness and the irreversible nature of the marriage.
Now that they are officially married, the bride changes her position from being
on the groom’s right side to his left. The groom then puts sindoor (red powder) in the parting
of his bride’s hair, and fastens a mangalsutra (marriage
necklace) around her neck.
The bride and groom then move inside the bride’s house and perform more
rituals before the bride prepares to depart for her husband’s house. Before
departing, she will change into the clothes given to her by her husband’s
family. Once in the groom’s house, the bride is formally received, and various
social and religious rituals are performed.
Sometimes, traditional wedding games are also played. The purpose of these
games was originally to ‘break the ice’ between the couple, who may
have hardly known each other. In one such game, the newlyweds compete to try and
find coins hidden in a bowl of milky water.
A Hindu marriage is not considered fully consummated until all the appropriate
ceremonies have been performed. This can take up to three days, depending on the
family tradition.
Glossary
Agni
a sacred fire lit on the prepared altar
antarpat
specially prepared plain or embroidered cloth that separates the bride and groom
barat swagat
the formal reception of the groom’s party at either the bride’s home
or the wedding venue
dana
spiritual gift
dharma
sacred law
dhoti
loin cloth
Ganesh
the Hindu god of good fortune, also known as the remover of obstacles
gathabandhan
the tying of the knot of the wedding scarves
Kanyadan
the giving away of the bride by her parents
mandap
a temporary structure, comprising four posts and a canopy, decorated with flowers
and garlands, where a Hindu wedding takes place
Mangal phera
a ceremony where the bride and the groom circle the Agni (wedding fire)
mangalsutra
a marriage necklace fastened around the neck of the bride by the groom
Panigrahan
the acceptance of the bride’s hands by the groom
saptapadi (‘rite of seven steps’)
a ceremony where the bride and groom take seven steps together, while the groom
recites, to each step, requests for the future happiness and prosperity of the
couple
sindoor
red powder placed by the groom in the parting of the bride’s hair
