Welcome to 
Soluna & Amit's
Wedding
June 30,2001

     
Wyndham Palace
Walt Disney World Resort
1900 Buena Vista Drive
Orlando, Florida 32830
             

When I saw you I
fell in love, and you 
smilled because you knew

   
A Hindu wedding ceremony is a solemn and religious occasion just as in other cultures. The large crowds, which attend these lavish events in the ‘marriage season’, may be a bit talkative and restless, but always scintillate with so much feminine glamour and radiance all around. Besides the rituals performed by the bride, bridegroom, their respective parents and close relatives, the priest most importantly reads mantras (verses) from the holy scripture, Vedas, which were originally written in Sanskrit. The priest uses the following substances in the ceremonies:
 * Fresh flowers - to signify beauty;
 * Coconut - to signify fertility;
 * Rice, jaggery & other grains-to signify the food req. for
    sustenance of human life;
 * Ghee (purified butter) - to feed the
    sacred fire;
When I saw you I fell in love,
and you smiled because you knew.
  
Pokavu
The actual wedding day begins with what is known as the Pokavu, the arrival of the groom. The mother-in-law greets him at the entrance to the wedding hall. A small ceremony is performed and then she tries to pinch the groom’s nose. This playfully reminds the groom that he has come to their door to ask for their daughter by rubbing his nose on the door.
   

  
He is then escorted to the mandap (the four pole canopy where the actual wedding ceremony takes place) by his mother-in-law. The groom is also accompanied to the mandap by the best man and also a young girl, usually his sister, cousin or niece.}

Madhuparka
During the Madhuparka, the groom’s feet are washed and he is fed honey and milk while sitting under the Mandap. During this time, the bride’s sisters and cousins try and steal the groom’s shoes, adding mischief and humor to the ceremony. At the end of the day the groom retrieves his shoes by offering his sister in-laws some

money.Kanya Agamana
The bride is then walked to the Mandap by her maternal uncles in a ceremony that is known as Kanya Agamana, a tradition that has survived from the early days of child marriages. The bride is normally dressed in a white and red sari with embroidery in gold thread. White is for purity and red signifies abundance and fertility. Often the bride has another sari on top of her head, which has been presented by the groom’s family usually accompanied by some jewelry.

   
Antarpat
At this point, the Antarpat, or the curtain separating the bride and groom, is lowered.

Kanya Daan & Hasta Milap
It is now time for the bride to be given away in a ritual known as Kanya Daan. This is done by the bride’s father joining the right hands of the bride and groom as a symbol of their union. At this point a loop of white raw cotton, wound round 24 times symbolizing different characteristics and virtues of human life, is put round the shoulders of the bride and groom.. Garlands and rings are exchanged.
 
Mangalpheras
After this a small open fire is lit in the center and the fire God is invited to witness the marriage. Fire, a purifying agent, is also a source of energy. Only fire can separate this bond of unity between bride and groom. The bride and the groom are joined by a piece of white cloth, one end of which is tied to the bride’s sari and the other thrown over the groom’s shoulder.During the Mangalpheras, the couple circles the holy fire four times. The four circles symbolize the four basic human goals of Dharma, Arth, Kam, and Moksh. The bride’s brothers are called in to participate in the ceremony.
   

   
The bride’s brothers and male cousins initiate all the rounds, signifying their consent to the marriage.
During the first three rounds the bride follows the groom. This signifies "I shall follow you wherever you go-in happiness or hard times". In the final round the bride goes in front and the groom follows, which signifies that during old age when the time for departing comes, the bride wishes not be left as widow.

After the fourth circle, the bride and groom compete to be the first to sit down. In the past, this tradition was thought to predict who would dominate the marriage, since family elders noticed that these simple traits and gestures could reveal the bride’s resourcefulness and intelligence. Today this game carries much less significance since the bride and groom are both aware of this tradition, making it more competitive then insightful.

Mungalsutra & Sindoor
The groom’s family now gives the bride a gold and black-beaded necklace, known as Mungalsutra. Next, the groom sprinkles a red powder, known as Sindoor, in the middle of the bride’s forehead. The Mungalsutra and Sindoor are symbols of the eternal

  
bond of marriage, and a long and protected life for the groom and bride.
It was you who made my heart
Dance among the stars...

Sapta Padi
The Sapta Padi or more fondly called ‘the seven steps’ is performed with a unique variation. The groom helps the bride touch seven betel nuts with her right toe, while they recite the seven vows.

Akhand Saubhagyavati
Another quite interesting aspect of the wedding is the Saubhagyavati, in which several married women from the bride and groom’s families get onto the altar to whisper secret blessings into the right ear of the bride. When it is the bride’s mother’s turn, the groom reaches out and grabs the Pallu of her sari, a tradition called Chero Pakarvo, which began as an excuse for the groom to ask for the gifts that he is entitled to from the brides’ family.

Aashirwaad
Once the wedding rituals have been completed, the couple touches the feet of their parents and the priest, asking for their Aashirwaad, or blessings.

Vidai
The ceremony is completed with the departure of the bride and groom, which is known as Vidai. Farewell to the bride by her parents, brothers and

   

  
sisters, relatives and friends is indeed a very emotional part of the whole event. The bride is leaving her parental home to build an entirely new life with her husband and members of his immediate family in a different environment altogether. She leaves with tears of joy and sorrow, but carries the very best wishes of all who witnessed her matrimonial ceremony.