Marriages are made in heaven ! Indian marriages are many a times "arranged", although that is changing dramatically. Is has been said that two people marry not only themselves but two families get married to each other. Therefore you will see that some Indian parents still play a big role in finding a bride or a groom for their children. With westernization influencing the eastern cultures many age old practices are being forgotten. The " young and the restless" are following new traditions and paths to find their mates.
Yet many in
Traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies can last for days and involve much ritual in Sanskrit which may be understood only by the priest conducting the service.
Hindu weddings are supposed to take place outside, on the earth, under a canopy known as a mandap.
A Hindu Wedding is not simply an exchange of vows and rings. It includes a number of religious rites before and during the nuptials, which are performed in the presence of family deities. These represent the importance of the bond between a husband and wife. A Hindu marriage or "Vivaha" is incomplete without the blessings of god.
The Seven Holy Steps
Hindu marriage ceremonies involve many elaborate rituals, one of the most important being the "Saat Pheere" or 7 circles around the holy fire. Also known as "SaptaPadi" - "Sapta" means "seven" and "padi" means "steps". This ritual involves the bride and groom circumambulating around the sacred fire seven times while the priest chants the holy mantras. With every step, the couple invokes the Gods to shower their blessings on them.
Hindu Weddings
Traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies can last for days and involve much ritual in Sanskrit which may be understood only by the priest conducting the service.
Hindu weddings are supposed to take place outside, on the earth, under a canopy known as a mandap.
A Hindu Wedding is not simply an exchange of vows and rings. It includes a number of religious rites before and during the nuptials, which are performed in the presence of family deities. These represent the importance of the bond between a husband and wife. A Hindu marriage or "Vivaha" is incomplete without the blessings of god.
The Seven Holy Steps
Hindu marriage ceremonies involve many elaborate rituals, one of the most important being the "Saat Pheere" or 7 circles around the holy fire. Also known as "SaptaPadi" - "Sapta" means "seven" and "padi" means "steps". This ritual involves the bride and groom circumambulating around the sacred fire seven times while the priest chants the holy mantras. With every step, the couple invokes the Gods to shower their blessings on them.
Christian Wedding & Ceremony
In
Although a Goan Christian wedding may vary in some details to a western church wedding, it basically follows the diktat of a catholic wedding. The wedding is attended by friends and relatives of the bride and groom. An Anglo Indian Christian bride traditionally wears a white gown in western style and the groom wears a suit.
Pre-Wedding Rituals:
Find out about some of the most well known and much enjoyed pre-wedding customs of a Christian Wedding.
Bridal Shower
Bridal Shower is one of the major pre-wedding customs of a Christian Wedding. This is basically a fun-filled and entertaining informal hen party, which is hosted by the bride's female friends. It is mainly a female get-together that is enlivened by songs, dance and joyful game sessions. Friends and relatives present gifts to the bride-to-be and give blessings for a blissful married life. Following the tradition, the bride serves a pink cake to all present. Uniqueness of the cake is that there is a thimble hidden inside this cake. It is believed that a girl who receives the piece of cake with a thimble will be the next to get married.
Bachelor Party
Bachelor Party is hosted by the groom for his friends. It is essentially a stag party organized on the eve of the wedding or a couple of days before the wedding where a groom is expected to enjoy his last evening as a bachelor. A Bachelor's Party typically begins by raising a toast before the drinking begins in earnest. It is mostly celebrated to have fun and enjoyment with close friends.
The Wedding Dress or Saree
The full skirted gown is usually made of around five to seven meters of material but can vary according to pattern. In other sects of Christian community the bride's dress is usually a white or cream saree. Brides head is covered with a white veil and a crown - a tiara or a bunch of white flowers and she holds a flower bouquet in her hand.
The Ceremony
Welcoming the Bride
The ceremony of welcoming the bride is conducted on the day of a Christian wedding. Groom sends a car to pick up the bride and waits for her outside the church. Following the tradition, when the bride arrives, the Best Man welcomes her with a kiss on either cheek and hands her a bouquet of flowers. Following this ritual, the couple walks down the aisle slowly and gracefully accompanied by the wedding procession. Inside the church, the couple walks up to the place where the priest stands for the wedding mass. The priest then welcomes them and offers his best wishes.
The Christian Matrimonial Ceremony
The Christian matrimonial ceremony is simple and involves the exchange of wedding bands and marriage vows by the bridal couple. The proceedings of the marriage ceremony is accompanied by a group of choir singers.
The rituals are conducted along with the holy mass. The couple walks down the corridor slowly but gracefully till they reach where the priest stands, who welcomes them and offers his best wishes. The priest then commences the procession of reading psalms from the Holy Bible. He then renders a sermon called Homily, which dwells on the sacredness of the wedlock.
Like in all Indian matrimonial rituals, this community too, has an interesting lecture with an emphasis on the sanctity of marriage given by the priest. The Homily being over, the bride and the groom hold each other's right hand and make the Solemn Promise of lifelong loyalty stating that they will stay together in thick and thin to each other, in the name of God. This is followed by Blessing and the exchange of the wedding rings, which are first blessed by the priest to instill in the bearers an everlasting love and an earnest faith.
Mangalsutra
Another common feature of the Indian community, that has been extended to the Christian community matrimonial alliance is the Mangalsutra. In the Roman Catholic Saraswat Brahmin community this is known as Piduk. In the Syrian Christian community the groom presents his bride in church with a sari. This is known as 'Mantra Kodi'. A Taali, a leaf shaped gold pendant with a cross sealed on it, is worn on thread created with strands drawn from this sari by the groom's sister. The priest prays for the couple and the couple renders a thanksgiving prayer to the Almighty.
The ceremony comes to an end with the priest giving the final blessing to the couple. The gathering, towards the end, shower their blessings on the newly weds. The last formality is the couple then signs the register and walk down aisle, arm in arm.
Like all weddings in the Indian community, the holy matrimonial alliance in Catholic weddings is followed by a reception for celebration. the ceremony ends with a blast at the reception by a live band. The newly married couple is greeted at the venue with showering of confetti. Following the tradition, the happy couple also cut a wedding cake and feed each other a bite of the first slice. The Toastmaster proposes a toast in honor of the couple. The reception is mostly celebrated with dance and dinner party.
MUSLIM WEDDING
Muslim weddings have a place of their own when it comes to uniqueness and traditionalism. Among Muslims, it is the family of the groom-to-be which searches for a suitable bride.
Mangni or Engagement Ceremony
In this ceremony, the exchange of rings takes place between the boy and the girl. The outfit worn by the girl is provided by the boy's family. The actual ring ceremony takes place with the serving of sweetmeats like peda to celebrate the auspicious occasion.
The Manjha Ceremony
In this ceremony, the girl is anointed with turmeric paste. The haldi lapetan ceremony takes place at the girl's house one or two days before the wedding day. The haldi and chameli oil are provided by the boy's family. Only unmarried girls apply haldi on the bride-to-be. A symbolic token in the form of a spot of the heena is put on the groom too by the girl's cousins.
The girl's attire: The girl limits herself to yellow clothes, the colour of turmeric, and does not wear any jewellery. After this ceremony, she does not move out of her house or change her clothes till the wedding day.
The musical night (at the girl's place): This festivity takes place one night before the wedding. There is natural gaiety and rejoicing accompanied by traditional songs sung to the beat of the dholak.
The Wedding Day
The baraat (or the procession of friends and relatives accompanying the groom) starts from the groom's place and moves towards the wedding venue, with the groom seated on a horse or in a car. A shamiana is pitched if no concrete covered area is available for conducting the wedding ceremonies. The arrival of the groom is accompanied by the beating of drums playing of musical instruments. Dancing rhythmically to add to the gaiety around.
On arrival, the groom and the brother of the bride exchange a glass of sharbet (or juice) and money. The saalis (or the sisters of the bride) welcome the guests by playfully hitting them with a phoolon ki chadi or a stick wrapped around with flowers.
The wedding attire
It is customary for the boy's family to send the wedding attire, jewellery and cosmetics for the girl. She usually wears the outfit as per the norms of the state she hails from; for instance, a gharara or a zari sari or salwar kameez. The groom normally wears a sherwani or an achkan.
Both the bride and the groom don a sehra or a veil of flowers around their foreheads.
The wedding Ceremony or Nikaah
Traditionally, the men and women have to be seated in separate rooms or have a purdah (or curtain) separating them. The amount of meher or gift is decided upon by the elders of the two families. (The meher is the compulsory amount of money given to the bride's family by the groom's family.) It is either fixed at an affordable price for the boy or fixed according to traditions in their gharana or amily.
Next, the uakeel or an eminent person with two male persons as witnesses and the maulvi or the officiating priest ask the girl personally if she is happy with the arrangement and whether she agrees to marry the groom. The boy'' asked the same question. In case of assent from boy, the maulvi then makes the boy read a selected piece of the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims.
The nikaahnama: This is a documents wherein the marriage is registered. First, the groom and the two witnesses sign and later the bride does so.
The Accompanying Ceremonies
(a) After the nikaah the groom is taken to the zenana (ladies' section). At the threshold, he gives money and gifts to the sisters of the bride. The groom receives the blessings of the elder women and offers them his salaam or salutations.
(b) Dinner is served separately to the ladies and the gentleman. The family of the boy is given a feast separately.
(c) After dinner for the first time, The groom and the bride are seated together and a dupatta is used to cover their heads while the maulvi makes them read some prayers.
(d) Aarsimashaf: The Holy Queen is kept in between the newly weds and they are allowed to see each other only through reflection by mirrors.
(e) Misri, dried dates and batasha are distributed to the guests. The dried dates have a religious significance.
(f) A half-eaten laddoo (a sweetmeat) is given to the girl by her cousins.
(g) The groom stays overnight in a separate room at the girl's house with a younger brother. In the morning, he is given clothes, money and fifts by the bride's parents.
(h) The relatives of the boy come to accompany the bridal couple to their home in the afternoon.
Rukhsat (or farewell)
The father of the bride gives her hand to her husband and asks him to protect her always. The last farewells are said and the bride departs for her husband's house by car or palki (palanquin).
The bride's first entrance
The bride first enters her new home under the cover of the quran held by her mother-in-law and the groom follows.
Chauthi
The bride is taken back to her parents' place on the fourth day after the wedding.
Valeema or the reception
The husband brings back his wife and her family to attend the reception hosted by his family. Thus, the two families unite to become one.
