Traditional Hindu weddings are full of small ceremonies and rituals that lead the bride and groom to have a lifetime of marriage, sustenance, and success. Some rituals may vary, depending on where the couple comes from; Therefore, the steps below list the most common things that happen before, during, and after a Hindu wedding.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing for Marriage
Step 1. Dress up for the Haldi ceremony
This ceremony is held two or three days before the wedding. During Haldi, a paste made of turmeric, gram flour (besan), curd, sandalwood, and rose water is applied to the hands, feet, and faces of the bride and groom. The yellow color of this paste is believed to lighten the skin tone before the wedding ceremony and bring good luck to the bride and groom.
Hindu weddings are rich in color and joy. During this time, a flower canopy will be installed in the house where the wedding will take place and colors will appear in every corner
Step 2. Prepare your hands for the Mehndi ceremony
The hands and feet of the bride and all her closest family members will be decorated by a professional henna artist. Henna is believed to enhance the beauty of the bride. This ceremony is usually held the day before the wedding.
The Mehndi ceremony is similar to a bachelor party, but without the craziness and alcoholic drinks. This ceremony is more aimed at celebrating the journey to marriage than decoration and acting wildly
Step 3. Welcome the Baraat – the arrival of the groom and his family
In the past the groom arrived on horseback accompanied by close friends and family members. This huge procession was filled with lots of singing and dancing. This symbolizes the happiness of the groom and his family in receiving the bride.
Of course, in more modern weddings the groom arrives in a motorcade
Step 4. Celebrate Milni – the family gathering of the bride and groom
The bride's family, bringing with them a garland of flowers and traditional Indian sweets, welcomes the groom and his family. Milni is an important tradition, when the groom's family is received with honor by the bride's family.
This is usually done at the reception. Red kum-kum (powder) is applied to everyone's forehead. Members of each family are introduced to one another, creating peace and acceptance
Step 5. Perform the Ganesh Puja worship ceremony
Before the party starts, Ganesh Puja is performed for good luck. This is important because Ganesh is the god of destroying all obstacles. This ceremony usually involves members of the second family of the bride and groom. This deity is very important to Hindus and this ceremony provides them with provisions for the future.
Part 2 of 3: Completing the Traditional Wedding Ceremony
Step 1. Watch as the bride and groom arrive
The first is the groom. He will be brought to a decorated altar called a “mandap” and given a seat and a celebratory drink – a mixture of milk, ghee, yogurt, honey and sugar.
The arrival of the bride is called “kanya” which is taken from Kanya Aagaman. The bride and groom are usually accompanied by their father to the wedding altar, which symbolizes that the woman agrees to this marriage. The bride and groom are separated by a white cloth and are not allowed to see each other
Step 2. Let the garland do the talking during Jai Mala (flower garland exchange)
As soon as the bride approaches the mandap (the altar area where the wedding rituals are performed), the white cloth is lowered. The bride and groom exchange flower necklaces. This flower necklace is a symbol of acceptance of each other.
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When the bride and groom exchange garlands (jayamaala), they promise, “Let everyone present here know, we accept each other willingly, without coercion, and happily. Our hearts beat and unite like water."
Arranged marriage does not mean forced marriage. In fact, forced marriage is now illegal in India. Although the bride and groom may not know each other, they are willing to marry
Step 3. Watch the Kanyadaan ritual
In this ritual, the father of the bride pours holy water into the hands of the bride and then puts the hands of the bride into the hands of the groom. This ritual symbolizes the father officially giving up his daughter. Then, the groom's sister usually ties the ends of the groom's shawl to the bride's sari with bethel beans, copper coins, and rice. These objects symbolize unity, prosperity, and happiness for the bride and groom. This bond specifically reflects the lasting bond that comes with marriage.
Recently, in marriage, gifts are exchanged, such as clothes and jewelry. The groom's mother will give the "mangala sootra", a necklace as a symbol of success to the bride. The bride's father will then announce that his daughter has accepted the groom and wish the groom's family to accept his daughter
Step 4. Watch as the priest begins the Vivaha-homa
At this stage, the holy fire will be lit and the Purohit (priest) will chant a mantra in Sanskrit. During the prayer, offerings are offered into the fire. “Id na mama”, which means “not for me”, is repeated many times. This emphasizes the value of selflessness required in marriage.
Step 5. Experience the Panigharani ceremony
During this ritual, the groom holds the bride's hand. This could be the first time they physically touch each other. In this ritual the husband accepts his wife and swears to his wife and family that he will protect and protect her for the rest of his life.
The groom, while holding his wife's hand, would say, “I hold your hand in the spirit of the Dharma; we are husband and wife.”
Step 6. Watch the bride and groom finish the Shilarohan
It begins when the bride climbs a rock, which symbolizes her willingness and strength to overcome every obstacle in her married life.
- Then the couple walked around the fire four times, with the bride leading the first three rounds. Then they would join hands and offer barley leaves to the fire, symbolizing that they would work for each other and for the good of humanity.
- In this section, the husband will mark the part of his wife's hair with red kum-kum powder. This is called "sindoor". Any married woman can be recognized by this sign.
Step 7. Count the steps known as Saptapadi (seven steps around the fire)
At this stage of the ceremony, the couple will walk around the fire for seven steps, each step accompanied by a prayer and seven vows. This is when marriage is recognized by the state.
- The first oath is for food
- Second oath to strength
- Third oath for prosperity
- Fourth oath to wisdom
- Fifth oath to descendants
- The sixth oath for health
- Seventh oath to friendship
Step 8. Pay attention to the neck of the bride during the Mangalsutra Dharanam
The mangalsutra is a sacred necklace worn by the groom around the neck of the bride on the wedding day. After he puts on this necklace, the groom gives the bride the status of his wife.
The bride is expected to wear this necklace during her marriage. The necklace is a symbol of marriage, mutual love, and the commitment of the bride and groom to each other
Part 3 of 3: Celebrations After the Wedding Ceremony
Step 1. Give Aashirvad – the blessing of the family
After the wedding ceremony, the newly married couple receives the blessing of their family members. The women from the families of both parties whispered their blessing to the bride. Then the couple bowed before the priest and the family elders and parents received their final blessing.
As the newlywed couple walked through the guests, they were showered with flowers and rice as a wish for a long and happy marriage
Step 2. Say goodbye to the bride with a Bidai
This means the wife will go to her husband's house. The bride will say goodbye to her family members. He will be released happily, but it can also cause grief for the bride and groom and their families.
It was not uncommon to shed tears at this stage. Marriage is a process of enormous change for any woman and it is always accompanied by various emotions, some happy, some sad
Step 3. Grab the bride with a doli (for a traditional wedding)
The bride is carried from her parents' house to her husband's house. The doli is a pulpit decorated with a roof and four handrails on each side. Doli is also equipped with a comfortable seat cushion for the weary bride. According to tradition, the uncles and brothers from the mother's side of the bride carry this doli.
In many modern weddings, the bride is only carried with a doli outside the house – not to the husband's house. He will continue the journey by driving a car
Step 4. Greet the bride through Graha Pravesh
With her right foot, the bride kicks the kalash (jug) which usually contains rice. The kalash is placed at the door of the groom's house. After kicking the kalash, the bride steps into her husband's house for the first time.
It is believed to bring abundance of food, wisdom, and wealth, as well as being a "source of life". In the old stories, it was thought to bring the elixir of immortality
Step 5. Enjoy the reception
The reception is a very large formal party with musical accompaniment to celebrate the success of the wedding. This was the bride and groom's first public appearance as a couple. There is no formal tradition in the reception.
Traditional weddings do not provide alcohol and only serve a variety of vegetarian food according to their traditional religious beliefs
Step 6. After the celebration, join hands in front of the chest before the gods by doing Satyanarayana Puja
Satyanarayana Puja is a popular ritual performed to worship Narayan or Lord Vishnu. During this ceremony, the bride and groom take an oath of honesty. This ceremony aims to give the bride and groom eternal peace and their material needs. This puja is usually performed two or three days after the wedding.
