Hindu Wedding Ritual

Hindu Wedding Rituals

Hindu Wedding is not simply the exchange of vows and takes rounds around sacred fire. It actually include number of customs and traditions and every custom has its worth and meaning. Vivah or Hindu wedding establishes a bond between the souls of the bride and the groom in the presence of spiritual and divine element. Although, there is a long list of Hindu wedding rituals varies from region to region, the following customs in Hindu weddings are most common and can be found in every region or caste:

Engagement: The Hindu wedding rituals start from the engagement ceremony whereby both the parents of the bride and groom show their acceptance of the marriage proposal. They verbally promise to each other and fix the date of Marriage as per shubh muhurat or auspicious occasion. During the engagement ceremony, the sweet is considered to auspicious by Hindus. Therefore both the parents share sweets with each other.

Ritual of Mehndi:  It is a pre wedding ritual in Hindu religion by which the hands and feet of the bride color with Mehndi or Heena. The close friends or relative color the hands and feet of the bride.

Sangeet Ceremony: Sangeet or Music is the soul of any ceremony. This ritual takes place before the wedding ceremony whereby the guests singing and dancing throughout day and night.

Wedding Day Ceremonies:   There are lots of Hindu wedding rituals that conducted on the wedding day. On the wedding day, the couple is made to sit around the holy fire and the priest use to recite some vedic hymns. Both the bride and the groom take seven vows, seven rounds around the sacred fire, exchange garland of flowers etc. One of the emotional rituals that take place on the wedding day is kanyadaan whereby the father takes the hands of his daughter to the groom and shifted his responsibilities to the groom. The groom too accepts her and promises to keep her happy and fulfill all of his responsibilities towards the wife. Another important ritual in the Hindu weddings is saptapadi whereby the groom’s scarf is tied with the bride dress as it symbolizes the marriage knot between them.

Aashirwad and entrance of bride:  After the wedding ceremony the groom take the bride to his house whereby they both take the blessings of their elders and the bride enters first time to her groom’s house after marriage by kicking the pot that contains some rice and coins.