Hindu Marriage Rituals

In a Hindu arranged marriage there are various rituals and customs. According to Hindu Sastra there are four stages of life and the second stage is Grahastha Ashram (the householder stage), which signifies married life and it begins when a man and a woman come together and marry. Marriage is treated as an institution, which teaches the actual values of life. Every stage in life has its own charm. A married life also has its own charm and importance. In our Indian society there are mostly arranged marriages and arranged marriages has various steps. The first step starts with the selection of the bride and the bridegroom. As in arranged marriages the parents selects the bride and groom. The marriage among Hindus is not only considered an union of two souls but of two families. A Hindu wedding not only involves the bride and groom but the entire community, friends, family and relatives as everybody participates in their coming together.

After the selection procedure is over the family members of both the girl and boy decides an auspicious date for their engagement also known as Misri or ring ceremony. The priest decides the date. Now the engagement ceremony rituals differ from region to region and community to community. But all these rituals are an indispensable part of Hindu wedding. In this ceremony the girl and boy exchange wedding rings among each other. Sweets and garlands are exchanged among the couple. On this day special arrangements for dinner is also done for the friends and relatives who gathers to wish the couple. After engagement the next important ritual is the mehndi party. The bride's family and friends mainly celebrate this ceremony. The female friends and family members of the bride celebrate this occasion by painting henna on bride's hand and feet and on each other while the rest of the family celebrates by singing and dancing. The color of mehndi signifies the essence of love in a marriage so it is put on bride's hand to strengthen that bond of love.

Among the other important rituals are Sangeet parties where all the family members and friends of the bride and groom celebrate by singing and dancing the night away. Along with song and dance there are arrangements for food and drink. It is mostly seen among the Punjabis and Gujaratis. It is a large affair in most of the families. Ghari puja is also another important religious ceremony, which is performed on the eve of the wedding day at the groom and bride's place separately. In many regions ghari puja is combined with Pithi the cleansing ceremony during which the bride and bridegroom are pasted with turmeric powder in a beautification process. These were some of the rituals and customs, which were generally followed in all the Hindu marriages. Only the celebration aspect may change due to different culture and traditions of different regions. On the day of the wedding ceremony the place of the wedding is beautifully decorated with flowers. It is called the mandapa where the marriage is performed. The main wedding ceremony is a long and elaborate affair, which lasts for several hours in that the couple takes the saptapadi or the seven steps together before god symbolized by fire and light. The seven vows speak of the real essence and significance of marriage. Each and every ritual and custom is based on Vedic traditions signifying different aspect of married life.