Vivah — Glorious Hindu Weddings

Hindu Wedding Ceremonies are known to be grand, joyous celebrations that continue for several days. Of course they are so, however the core of the wedding ceremony is deeply philosophical. Marriage in Hindu Religion is not just a bond between two individuals but also between two families. The objective of the wedding ceremony is not only the celebration of the bride and groom’s union but also to make them aware of their duties and responsibilities and changes in priorities. Hindu Wedding Ceremony reflects this thought through the rituals performed during the wedding.

Several aspects such as psychology, sound therapy, philosophy, social sciences, family dynamics are carefully considered by the yogis and sages while designing this ceremony, that is still relevant in the modern world. Hindu wedding ceremony is one of the most ancient surviving wedding rituals.

Pre-wedding Ceremonies

Pre-wedding celebrations begin several days prior to the wedding and are optional in nature.

Muhurta

A wedding invitation is given to the deities such as Ganesha at home or in a temple and their cosmic power is invited to the wedding to bless the bride and groom for their future life together.

Graha Makh

Some communities perform a havan (sacred fire) to family deities and navagraha at home a few days before the wedding for their blessings and luck.

Mehndi and Sangeet

A couple of days before the wedding, the bride’s and groom’s extended families meet together and have a ritual of drawing Mehndi (heena) on their hands. In many communities in India, the groom also draws mehndi on his hands along with the bride. Dinner, dance and music (Sangeet) are generally arranged. Groom’s parents give gifts to the bride and her parents — generally clothes for the bride to be worn on the day of the wedding. The objective of this party is for both the families to formally meet and know each other, reduce anxiety on the day of wedding, clear misunderstandings if any and prepare a mindset to accept each other as relatives. This ritual has no religious significance and is merely designed to make the wedding fun, memorable and celebratory.

Baraat (Procession)

On the day of the wedding, the groom and his extended family approach the wedding hall ceremoniously with a procession in the presence of music and dance. Bride’s family may join the dance outside the wedding hall. Groom generally rides a horse, an elephant or these days an expensive lavish or vintage car. Bride’s parents welcome the groom and his parents with arati (an oil lamp in a plate). The Bride generally does not participate in this ritual. The ritual of Baraat and Mehndi are the lavish celebratory aspects of the wedding, but are completely optional from a religious point of view.

The Wedding Ceremony

The core wedding ceremony takes about 2 hours with following rituals of immense philosophical, psychological and religious significance. As the rituals proceed, bride, groom and their families generally start to realize the seriousness of the new responsibilities and virtues to be followed with each other. The ceremony is performed in the presence of sacred fire inviting several energies / vibes (called as deities / Gods in Vedas). They are merely different aspects of the singular parabrahman (the ultimate truth of the universe). The deities are invoked with sacred Sanskrit Mantras. The ceremony creates a deep psychological bond at subconscious level between bride and groom to be cherished for the rest of their lives even in sickness and hardships until death.

Madhuparka

Once inside the wedding hall, the groom and his parents are seated on the altar. The bride’s parents give gifts to the groom and his parents — generally but not necessarily clothes. They are offered some sweets as well.

Varmala

Up till this point, the groom does not get to see the bride. It is considered to be inauspicious for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before this ritual. Similar concept exists in christian weddings. Bride is now asked to enter the wedding altar and and stand before the groom, both holding garlands in their hands. While purohit (the priest) chants mantras, the attendees throw raw rice on the bride’s and the groom’s head. At the end of the Mantras, they accept each other with garlands and proceed to seal that bond.

Ganesh and Kalash Pujan

Bride and groom and their parents invite sacred energies of the deities such as Ganesha, Varuna and Vishnu and worship them. Purohit guides them through the process while chanting divine Sanskrit Mantras.

Kanyadaan (Giving away the bride)

A father always has a special bond, protective instinct and possessiveness towards his daughter. In this ritual, the bride’s father accepts the groom as her husband and gives his permission to go ahead with the wedding. The ritual psychologically imparts to him that he should renounce his possessiveness towards his daughter and should interfere less in her personal matters now.

Pani Grahan

Bride and groom take each other’s hands and the bride now narrates her expectations and the groom accepts them with a vow. These expectations narrate the duties of the husband towards his partner and children. Purohit will chant the vow in Sanskrit first for its vibes and wavelengths and then narrate its translation in English. Rings may be exchanged at this stage if they are not already exchanged during the engagement.

Laja Homa and Agni Pradakshina

This is the core Vedic wedding ritual. This procedure is incredibly specific and timeless. Groom’s stole and bride’s dupatta are tied to each other as a symbol of their bond in the journey ahead. Purohit sets up the holy fire in a vessel and asks the bride and groom to throw some grains into the fire after every mantra. The couple then makes seven rounds around the fire, signifying different aspects of their life and journey through joy and hardships with each other. With these rounds, they pay respect to the deities, ask for their blessings, accept each other’s partnership and promise to raise their kids to be religious and pious.

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SaptaPadi

Bride then takes seven steps with the groom. At each step, the groom narrates his expectation and the bride accepts it with a vow. These expectations narrate the duties of the wife towards her partner and children.

Sindoor and Mangalsutra

Groom applies sindoor / kumkum powder on the bride’s forehead and presents her mangal sutra — traditional jewelry signifying the marriage. He requests her to honor him by wearing this jewelry forever as a token of his love.

Laxmi Pujan

Love of Goddess Laxmi and Vishnu and their support in each other’s endeavors is legendary in Hindu scriptures. The couple is expected to keep their example in mind all the time. The bride worships Goddess Laxmi — the goddess of prosperity and luck. She herself is considered to be the laxmi of the house after this point. The groom and the bride may also go through the ritual to change the bride’s name if they want to.

The wedding ritual is now over and everyone is requested to enjoy the feast and bless the newly wed couple.