Wedding Ceremony

Indian weddings not only unite Bride and Groom but also their families. The ceremony begins with arrival of Groom

Groom coming on a horse to take a Bride

Welcome the Baraat (The arrival of the groom and his family).  The groom arrives at the wedding on a horse, accompanied by his friends and family members. The large procession includes lots of singing and dancing. This signifies the groom’s and his family’s happiness in accepting the new bride.

 Milni (meeting of the bride and grooms families). The bride’s family with garlands and traditional Indian sweets welcomes the groom and his family. Milni is an important tradition where the groom’s family is honored by the brides family.

Kanya Aagaman (Arrival of the Bride). The bride enters the hall and is escorted to the mandap by her maternal uncle and aunt, signifying that the bride’s maternal side approves of the union. In some parts of India, the bride is escorted by her sisters, cousins and female friends.

Jai Mala (exchanging of the garlands). Once the bride approaches the mandap, (area where the wedding rituals take place). The bride and the groom then exchange floral garlands. These garlands are to signify their acceptance of one another.

Sapta-Padi ( seven vows). This is the main part of the ceremony. The couple walk seven steps reciting a prayer at each step. These are the seven vows which are exchanged. The first for food, the second for strength, the third for prosperity, the fourth for wisdom, the fifth for progeny, the sixth for health and the seventh for friendship.

 Aashirvad (blessings).  After the wedding ceremony the married couple bows down before the priest and the elder family members and parents to receive the blessings for a long and prosperous married life.

If you want to know more about Indian weddings read Indian Wedding Traditions by SG at Rice University

Pre-Wedding Ceremonies

Traditional Indian weddings last a week, and start with pre-wedding ceremonies.

Haldi Ceremony

 The Haldi ceremony is an ancient Indian ritual. In this ceremony the family members attempt to 'beautify' the bride and groom by applying a paste of turmeric (Haldi) on their face, hands and feet. The turmeric application is known to improve one's complexion.

Mehendi Ceremony

 During Mehendi ceremony bride’s hands and feet are decorated with intricate patterns by the application of Henna. On a lighter note, it is believed that, deeper the color of the mehendi (henna) stronger is the groom’s love for the bride. Every female member of family gets mehendi done on her hands and feet. The entire mood of a mehendi ceremony is extremely festive.

Sangeet Ceremony


Sangeet Ceremony  is a night ceremony which is accompanied with relatives, music, dance, laughter and a lot of fun. Songs are played and relatives dance on it. Celebrations goes till late at night.  

Engagement

 India defines diversity and is reflected in Indian marriages as well. In our culture, marriage symbolizes not just the union of two individuals, but of the coming together of two families and extended families as well! Their level of involvement is so profound that typically the family decides the bride/groom. . Families search for eligible partners for their children through word of mouth or marriage priests primarily. However with the internet revolution in India online matrimonial sites are also becoming quite a hit! Arranged marriages are strictly intra-religion and intra-caste. Though arranged marriages are still the norm love marriages are becoming a common occurrence these days. . If the alliance is agreeable to both parties, they proceed to plan for the engagement ceremony and the wedding.

Engagement is marked by the exchange of rings between the bride and groom to be. Indian engagement ceremonies are very elaborate and vibrant, a sort of prequel to the main wedding, involving close friends and relatives.

 Read about Arranged Marriage

 

What do you find better Love marriage or Arranged marriage?