Indian weddings are a vibrant tapestry of cultural traditions, symbolizing the union of two souls and families. These celebrations are renowned for their grandeur, intricate rituals, and deep-rooted customs that have been passed down through generations. Hindu weddings, in particular, are a feast for the senses, filled with colorful attire, fragrant flowers, and melodious music that create an unforgettable atmosphere.
The journey of a Hindu wedding begins long before the actual ceremony, involving a series of pre-wedding rituals and customs. From the engagement to the mehendi ceremony, each step has its own significance and meaning. The wedding day itself is a grand affair, starting with the baraat (groom’s procession) and culminating in the saptapadi (seven steps) around the sacred fire. An Indian wedding planner often plays a crucial role in orchestrating these complex events, ensuring that every tradition is honored and every detail is perfect for the couple’s special day.
Pre-Wedding Rituals
The journey of a Hindu wedding begins long before the actual ceremony, involving a series of pre-wedding rituals and customs. These rituals vary depending upon the region of India where the bride and groom’s families live or where their families originated, as well as the practices of different castes of each religion.
The Engagement Process
The formal engagement ceremony, known as the lagna patrika, is a significant Hindu wedding custom that takes place months before the special day(s). During this time, the couple exchanges a written vow stating that the marriage ceremony will take place at a later date they’ve selected. The wedding date and time are finalized at the ceremony, where a Hindu priest (pandit) writes down the marriage details and the names of all the family members involved.
Another Hindu wedding tradition, wagdaan, may also be a part of the engagement. It typically involves the exchange of a ring as a promise of marriage after the groom’s father gets permission from the bride’s father to have the wedding. The wagdaan usually takes place during an engagement party known as mangni (in northern India) or nischitartham (in southern India).
The roka ceremony is an extension of the engagement party, where the two families join together, exchange gifts, eat sweets and dry fruit, and enjoy each other’s company.
Sangeet and Mehendi
Sangeet and Mehndi are two Indian wedding functions organized one or two days before the wedding day. In the sangeet ceremony, family members from both sides organize a song and dance party, while in the mehndi ceremony, they wear intricate designs made from henna paste on their hands and feet.
The mehndi ceremony is traditionally reserved for the bride-to-be and her closest friends and family members. The main purpose of this event is the application of bridal mehndi, or henna design, to her hands and feet. Henna is a brown paste that temporarily dyes the skin and is applied in intricate designs. The ceremony usually takes place the day before the wedding, as the henna application can take a while and requires the bride to remain seated for hours while it dries.
Traditionally, the designs have an ornamental floral theme, but contemporary brides-to-be opt for personal touches or even hide the groom’s name within the design and have him try to find it. It is commonly believed among Indian tradition that the darker the color of the bride’s Mehndi, the more her husband will love her.
Family Bonding
Many Indian couples take the night before the wedding as an opportunity to get together with their families. Sometimes each side of the family will meet separately before getting together and meeting each other in a fun atmosphere. A prayer is conducted with family members to wish the couple a happily married life.
Fifteen days before the wedding is the barni band-hwana custom, which involves tying a thread, called mauli, to the bride and the groom or the groom and his parents’ hands. The purpose of this is to ask the gods for safety on the wedding day and a happy marriage.
Mayra or Mayara Ceremony, often follows barni band-hwana and is the “maternal uncle’s ceremony” in which the maternal uncles of both to-be-weds shower the families with gifts and treats to offer well wishes.
The Wedding Procession
Baraat
In Hindu and Sikh weddings, the groom is led to the marriage venue in a procession known as the baraat. The baraat is a meeting of the families and includes festive music, drummers, and dancing. It begins with the groom’s processional to the ceremony venue.
Traditionally, the groom rides in on a horse or elephant, adorned with embellishments to match the groom as all eyes are on the two as they make their way through the procession. In modern times, grooms often choose to enter in an extravagant car, decorated similarly to the traditional horse. However, to maintain traditions, some grooms opt to ride a horse to the end venue.
The groom is accompanied by family members, groomsmen, and friends known as baraatis. In Sikh tradition, the groom arrives wearing a sahara and saafa while carrying a kirpan.
The music during a baraat sets the mood for the rest of the marriage event, with upbeat and exciting songs blasting as the groom makes his way through the procession.
Welcoming the Groom
After the groom reaches the venue, female relatives of the bride’s family greet the groom and his family. They apply tilak (sacred red color mixed with water) to his forehead and perform aarti to ward off the evil eye. This ritual is known as milni or pokwanu.
The groom is then led inside the Hindu wedding venue for the rest of the ceremonies. He is tasked with smashing a clay pot with his foot into small pieces to symbolize his ability to overcome future obstacles the couple might face.
Entrance Rituals
The bride is not included in the baraat because it is solely to welcome the groom and his family to the marriage site. She joins him for the varmala or jaimala, where they exchange garlands to signify the start of their marriage rituals.
Following the groom’s entrance into the wedding and acceptance with tilak, the bride enters next during kanya aagman. Kanya aagman is the Hindi phrase for “the girl’s arrival” or “the arrival of the bride.” During the bridal processional, the to-be-wed often walks underneath a phoolon ki chaadar, a sheet usually adorned with flowers that represent the bride leaving the protection of her family to be with her groom, held by her brothers. Loved ones, often the bride’s maternal aunt and uncle, generally join the procession. The soon-to-be bride is then led to the mandap, where the groom, his loved ones, and the pandit are seated.
The Wedding Ceremony
Mandap Significance
A four poster structure with a canopy in the shape of a dome marks the sacred area of traditional Hindu marriage. According to the Hindu vedas, there are four stages of life – Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sanyasa. The four posters or pillars of a mandap symbolize these four stages of life. It is in a mandap where the groom enters as a Brahmacharya and exits as a Grihastha, which means a householder.
There are five elements of the universe – Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. Decorated stacks of pots kept near the four pillars symbolize the first four elements, while the fifth element of the universe, ‘Space’, is symbolized by the canopy on top, traditionally called ‘Gopuram’. It is believed that the mandap is the universe under which a new beginning starts, hence the elements are represented by the architecture of a mandap, making it an ideal place to start one’s marital life.
In Hindi, Mandap translates to a covered structure with pillars. In essence, the Mandap serves as the altar for Indian weddings, specifically for Hindu and Jain ceremonies. The Mandap consists of four pillars, symbolizing the four parents who worked hard to raise their children.
Sacred Fire Rituals
Fire is a focal point of Hindu wedding ceremonies, as well as the religion as a whole. Hindus believe that, through flame, they can obtain purity of heart and mind. In Hindu weddings, fire is regarded as a purifier that sustains life. During a wedding ritual called “Mangalfera”, the bride and groom walk around the fire four times, while praying and exchanging their vows. Then their family makes offerings into the fire to honor the marriage.
The Hindu god of fire, Agni, is regarded as the friend and protector of humanity. This shows how central fire is to Hindus. He is believed to be the second-ranking God in the Vedic texts, placing him right beneath Indra.
Homa is a Sanskrit word that defines any ritual that involves making offerings into fire. Material offerings, such as edible and drinkable things, as well as things of value, are offered to the gods with the aid of fire priests. These items are cast into a flame and burned to ashes. This tradition is rooted in the Vedic religion but has been adopted by other ancient religions like Buddhism and Jainism. Today, Homa rituals have remained as an important aspect of many Hindu ceremonies.
In Hindu weddings, the Agni Puja, or worship of fire, marks the commencement of matrimonial festivities. The sacred fire symbolizes divine blessings and the sanctity of marital union. The sacred fire is centered between the couple and is used during the ceremony by the Priest while reciting hymns form Vedas. Religious offerings are placed near the sacred fire for the Priest and couple to offer throughout the ceremony.
During some Hindu weddings, the sacred fire pit, or Havan Kund, is carefully prepared and adorned with flowers and traditional decorations to enhance the atmosphere of reverence and spirituality. According to the Hindu Vedas, agni or ‘Holy Fire’ stands for purity and spirituality. The ‘Agni’ is invoked and is a crucial part of any auspicious event in the Hindu religion. Respected and revered since ancient times, the sacred fire is considered ‘The Witness’ to a wedlock. All the wedding rituals like the vows, saat pheras, etc., takes place in front of the Agni Kund, by burning fragrant herbs, ghee, raw rice and millets.
Vows and Promises
The seven vows of Hindu marriage taken before ‘Agni’ or fire are considered the most sacred and unbreakable in Hindu Books of law and customs. The would-be husbands and wives are expected to recite the seven vows while taking seven rounds or pheras around the Holy Fire or Agni. The priest explains the meaning of each pledge to the young couple and encourages them to adopt these marriage vows in their life once they unite as a couple. These seven vows of a Hindu marriage are also known as Saptha Padhi and they contain all the elements and practices of marriage. They consist of promises which the bride and the groom make to each other in the presence of a priest while circling around a sacred flame in honor of the fire god ‘Agni’. These traditional Hindu vows are nothing but marriage promises made by the couple to one another. Such vows or promises form an unseen bond between the couple as they speak the promising words for a happy and prosperous life together.
The seven vows of Hindu marriage encapsulate marriage as a symbol of purity and the union of two separate people as well as their community and culture. In this ritual, the couple exchange vows of love, duty, respect, faithfulness, and a fruitful union where they agree to be companions forever. These vows are recited in Sanskrit.
The beauty of Hindu weddings lies in the fact that even the smallest gesture has some cultural or religious significance. For the seven vows to take place, the holy fire is lit using wood, ghee, and cow manure in the havan kund (sacred fireplace). The combustion of wood and ghee is said to protect the ozone layer and doing this during the holy matrimony is reckoned to be a gesture of care towards the environment.
According to Hindu mythology, fire is one of five natural elements (Panch Tatva) that make the human body, and thus, considered important.It is believed that fire is capable of tying the couple in an eternal bond of marriage since fire is one thing that separates them from each other.
The seven vows encompass various promises and commitments from the bride and groom towards each other, their family, and society. Some key aspects covered are providing welfare, managing the household, protecting children and home, being loyal, seeking wealth and prosperity, striving for the children’s education, cherishing the relationship, and being lifelong companions.
Post-Wedding Customs
First Day After Wedding
Vidaai, meaning farewell, is the first post-Indian wedding ritual performed after the wedding ceremony as the couple and the groom’s family leave the wedding venue. The once-lively and jubilant atmosphere takes a bittersweet turn as everyone in the bride’s family bids farewell to her with tearful hugs. As she departs towards her new home, the bride throws handfuls of puffed rice in four directions, symbolizing the abundance of wealth and prosperity in her family home. Her brothers push the car as a gesture of support and encouragement, helping their beloved sister begin this new chapter in her life with a sense of strength and confidence.
This lighthearted post-Indian wedding ritual follows Vidai as the couple reaches home. After bidding farewell to her family, the newlywed bride is playfully teased by her groom’s sisters, who block the entrance to their home and demand gifts from their brother in exchange for allowing the bride to enter. These demands are a fun-filled way of settling the Juta Churai, in which the groom’s shoes are stolen by the bride’s sisters and they are given gifts to give them back. The negotiation process is filled with laughter and fun, and once the demands are fulfilled, the bride is welcomed into her new home with open arms.
Family Blessings
Grah meaning home and Pravesh meaning to enter, Grah Pravesh is another significant and sacred Indian wedding ritual, during which the bride is honored as the embodiment of the goddess Laxmi. To welcome her, her mother-in-law places a pot filled with rice at the doorstep. The bride gently tilts a pot with her right foot as she enters her new home, signifying the arrival of prosperity and bringing good fortune to her new home. Along with this, a plate filled with vermillion water is also kept. The bride walks into the house after placing her feet into vermillion water, leaving her footprints, symbolizing the blessed arrival of a goddess. Some families also have a tradition of getting a vermillion handprint of the bride on the front wall of the house, signifying her bringing prosperity to the family.
Mostly referred to as an Ashirwad Ceremony, this very soulful event is celebrated to seek the blessings of the elderly members of the family and other well-wishers. For this ceremony, the bride’s family along with relatives and friends visit the groom’s residence and present the newly wed couple sweets or fruits along with gold/silver/diamond jewelry, the couples then touch their feet.
Starting the New Life
One of the most popular and entertaining Indian wedding rituals is “Finding the Rings,” where the newlywed couple faces each other with competitive spirits. A large dish filled with milk, vermillion, and flower petals with a ring of a few betel nuts placed between them. The couple has to search for the ring four times to find it. The one who finds it the most often is often regarded as the ruler of the household. This playful post-Indian wedding tradition serves as a way for the bride to bond with her new family and make early connections.
The welcoming ceremonies and gifts continue with mooh dikhai, the “face revealing” tradition. Mooh dikhai usually happens at home on the night of the wedding and is when the women of the family unveil the bride’s face and offer her treats and presents. The mother-in-law is a large part of this and helps the bride “reveal” her face to her new family.
For this final Hindu wedding ceremony, the bride returns to her family home and stays there for about three days. Some think that since women are extensions of Goddess Lakshmi, they must come home temporarily after the wedding to bring prosperity to their parents. Once the period is over, the groom takes the bride back to his home, but not before getting blessings from his in-laws, and the couple receives presents from the bride’s family.
Conclusion
Hindu weddings are a rich tapestry of customs and traditions that have been passed down through generations. From the pre-wedding rituals to the ceremony itself and the post-wedding customs, each step has a deep significance and meaning. These celebrations are not just about the union of two individuals, but also about the coming together of families and communities, creating bonds that last a lifetime.
The beauty of Hindu weddings lies in their ability to blend ancient traditions with modern sensibilities. While the core rituals remain unchanged, couples today often add their own personal touches to make their special day unique. This mix of old and new, tradition and innovation, is what makes Hindu weddings such a vibrant and memorable experience for all involved. In the end, these weddings are a testament to the enduring power of love and family in Indian culture.
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FAQs
1. What are some widely practiced traditions in Hindu weddings in India?
In Hindu weddings, three primary rituals are predominantly observed: Kanyadaan, Panigrahana, and Saptapadi. These involve the father giving away his daughter, the couple voluntarily holding hands near the fire as a sign of their forthcoming union, and taking seven steps around the fire, each accompanied by mutual vows.
2. Can you list the eight traditional types of Hindu marriages?
The eight traditional forms of Hindu marriage are: Brahma marriage, Daiva marriage, Arsha marriage, Prajapatya marriage, Gandharva marriage, Asura marriage, Rakshasa marriage, and Paishacha marriage.
3. What are the core rituals involved in a Hindu wedding ceremony in India?
The essence of a Hindu wedding ceremony is a Vedic yajna ritual, which includes three fundamental rituals: Kanyadana (the father giving away his daughter), Panigrahana (the couple holding hands near the fire to symbolize their union), and Saptapadi (the couple taking seven steps around the fire).
4. What is considered the most significant ceremony in an Indian wedding?
The Kanyadaan ceremony is deemed the most crucial part of an Indian wedding. It is a deeply emotional and significant moment primarily for the bride and her family, where the bride’s father hands over her hand to the groom, symbolizing love, commitment, and respect.
