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The Marriage Ceremony of
XXX
and
YYY
Saturday, November 29th, 2003 |
Part-1
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Marriage:
An Introduction
Symbolizing a holy union, the marriage ceremony marks the beginning of the young
couple’s family life. Family life is a means for spiritual growth. It serves as
a training ground for man and woman to practice divine love through human love,
patience, consideration of others, forgiveness, respect, kindness, and self
control. These spiritual qualities, when developed, contribute towards a happy
marriage and accelerate spiritual progress.
The spiritual aspect helps couples recognize that marriage is a permanent
lifetime relationship. The bride and groom vow to love each other, to have a
family, and to fulfill all of their dharmas (duties and obligations) pertaining
to the family and to society.
In Hinduism the ceremony takes place in the presence of Agni, the Vedic
God of Fire. The couple goes around the Guru Granth and Agni
to legitimate their ties on earth and in heaven.
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Marriage Ceremony
Barat
(Groom’s Party)
The groom’s
party arrives; family and friends celebrate this joyous occasion by dancing in a
procession to the mandir (temple).
Milni
(Greeting the Party)
The bride’s
family greets and welcomes the groom’s family. They embrace and exchange
garlands. The bride’s family greets relatives and guests by offerings of flowers
and fragrant water, sprinkled to demonstrate love and affection.
Jaimala
(Exchange of Garlands)
The bride and
groom exchange garlands sym-bolizing their willingness to accept each other.
The Hindu
Wedding
Ganesh Pooja
(Worship of LordGanesh)
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Part-2
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Lord Ganesh
(the Hindu God) is the removerof all obstacles. He is worshipped to ensure an
impediment free ceremony. The worship is also performed to invoke God’s
blessings for the longevity of the couple.
Kanya Daan
(Giving away the Daughter)
Kanya Daan is
performed by the father who pours a libation of sacred water symbolizing the
giving away of the daughter to the groom. As a condition in offering his
daughter for mar-riage, the father requests a promise from the groom. The groom
promises to assist the bride in attaining: Dharma (piety), Artha (wealth), and
Kaama (desire). The groom makes the promise by repeating three times that he
will not fail the girl in realizing dharma, artha and kaama.
Vivaaha Havan
(Starting the nuptial Fire)
A fire is lit,
symbolizing purity and acting as a witness of all ceremonies that follow.
Panigrahanam
(Holding of Hands and
Tying the Knot) |
The groom holds the bride’s right hand, clutching her fingers with his right
palm. Then, he proclaims to his bride,
“May Bhaga (the giver of wealth who presides over love and marriage), Aryama
(the Lord of Effort), Savita the Sun (the source of all energy), and the Devas
(all celestial beings), the enlightened ones, bestow all enjoyment on us; and
may all these Gods endow us with good children and bless that you may live
forever. These Gods have given you unto me to be the Queen of my family.”
During this ceremony, the ends of three scarves are tied together, an act
preceding their marriage union.
Laja Havan
(Offerings to the Fire)
The bride and
the groom put parched rice, which is handed to them by the brothers and cousins
of the bride, in the sacred fire and recitea hymn praying for their prosperity.
Sapta-Padi
(Circling the
Fire Seven Times)
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Part-3
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The sapta-padi
is the most important ritual of the wedding ceremony. The bride and groom walk
around the nuptial fire seven times, each time making a promise to each other.
The priest recites the following hymns detailing their vows:
With God as a guide, let us take,
the first step
to provide nourishment and pure food for our household,
the second step
to develop our physical, mental and spiritual powers,
the third step to increase our wealth by righteous means and diligence,
the fourth step
to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust,
the fifth step
so that we are blessed with strong, virtuous and heroic children,
the sixth step
for self restraint and longevity,
the seventh step
to become true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock. |
Having taken
these steps together, I assure you that I will not swerve from the path of my
love and friend-ship with you. So should you also not swerve. Let our thoughts,
decisions, and actions be one and in unison. Let us be kind, loving,
considerate, good and open-hearted to each other. Let us share our food,
possessions, strengths, and advantages together. Let us be complementary to each
other as thought and speech are to each other. The sapta-padi ceremony concludes
with a hymn signifying that the union is eternal. The bride and groom are
pronounced man and wife.
Sindhur Dharan
(Placing Red Powder
on the Bride’s Head)
In this
ceremony, the groom places sindhur (red powder) on the crown of the bride’s
head. The sindhur is indicative of a blood union, and it is the unmistakable
mark of a married woman.
Mangal Sutra
The groom puts
Kali-poth (a black beaded necklace) around the neck of the bride (called
Mangal-sutra) and a Varamala (garland of mouli) is tied around both the bride
and the groom.
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Part-4
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This represents the official marriage of the couple.
The bride and groom also exchange wedding kisses.
Akshataaropana
(Blessing the Couple)
The priest
distributes sacred rice to the congre-gation. On a signal from the priest, the
married couple is showered with the sacred rice. This ritual signifies that the
congregation, who are the divine angels, have witnessed the wedding and bestowed
their blessings on the newlyweds for longevity and prosperity.
Doli
(Farewell to the Daughter from her Family)
The bride’s
family says farewell to their daughter. The bride sits in the Palki as her
brothers and cousins physically carry her outdoors. This is a tearful moment as
it symbolizes that the bride is leaving her parents’ home for good. (This will
take place after the reception).
“Whatever I am any devotee desires to worship with faith - that faith of his 1
make firm and unshakable”. 9V. 21
“I am the same towards all beings. None is hateful, and none is dear to Me. But
those who worship Me with devotion dwell in Me, and I too dwell in them” Ch. 9
V. 29
Srimad Bhagavad Gita
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Part-5
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