Traditional Indian Wedding Ceremony
Traditional Indian weddings have several aspects incorporated into the wedding ceremony. Most of these traditions date back to the Vedic times of India. For example, it is a tradition to hold the wedding ceremony in the "bright half" of the northern course of the sun.
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Kanyadan (Giving Away of the Bride)
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During the wedding ceremony, the father of the bride takes his daughter's hand and places it in the groom's hand. The father of the bride requests that the groom accept his daughter as an equal partner. The bride and the groom are symbols of goddess Lamxi and Lord Narayana to which the parents of the couple are facilitating the union of the two.
Jaimala (Exchange of Garlands)
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During a traditional wedding ceremony, the bride and the groom exchange garlands, which is referred to as Jaimala. The exchanging of the garlands represents that the bride and groom accept each other as partners in life. It also represents their respect for each other.
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Madhupak (Offering of Yogurt and Honey)
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The father of the bride gives the groom yogurt and honey. This acts as an expression of welcoming the groom to the bride's family and as a sign of respect.
Havan (Lighting of the Sacred Fire)
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During the Havan portion of the ceremony, the bride and group are calling on the god of Fire Agni. The bride and groom do this so that Agni can witness their commitment to each other by offering crushed sandalwood, herbs, sugar rice and oil as part of the ceremonial fire. A subset tradition of Havan is the tradition of Rajaham (Sacrifice to the Sacred Fire), which is when the bride places both of her hands in the groom's hands. The bride's brother then puts rice into the bride's hands and together the bride and groom offer the rice as a sacrifice to the ceremonial fire.
Mangalphera (Walk Around the Fire)
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The bride and groom then walk around the ceremonial fire together in a clockwise direction. The walk around the fire represents the four goals in traditional Indian life, which include Dharma, religious and moral duties; Artha, prosperity; Kama, earthly pleasures; and Moksha, spiritual salvation and liberation.
Gath Bandhan (Tying of the Nuptial Knot)
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Also during a traditional Indian wedding ceremony, a scarf is placed around the bride and another scarf is wrapped around the groom. The two scarves are then knotted together as a symbol of the bride and groom's eternal bond and their pledge to be faithful to each other.
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References
- Photo Credit indian man walking arm in arm with his family image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
