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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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