Hinduism is the most ancient religion in the Indian subcontinent and millions of people follow it. Hindus become quite orthodox when their religious traditions are concerned. A Hindu wedding is called Vivah in Sanskrit or Lagna in some vernacular languages. It is marked with some joyous rituals held before and after the main wedding ceremony. New couples invite all their well-wishers to join these functions by sending them beautifully designed Hindu wedding invitation cards.
Roka – This is the first pre-wedding ritual where the consent of both bride and groom is officially announced by their parents or other elders. Both families exchange sweets and other gifts among themselves, to celebrate this occasion jointly.
Sagan and Tilak ceremony – The groom’s family members visit the bride for the Sagan ceremony and bless her with an expensive dress and jewelry that she is supposed to wear during Sagai or engagement function. Tilak ceremony occurs at the groom’s house where the bride’s father or older male members of her family visit to bless the groom. They draw a Tilak or tika with vermilion or kumkum on his forehead and give him some gifts as tokens of their good wishes.
Mehendi & Sangeet – The bride’s hands and feet are adorned with artistic designs of henna paste on the evening before the wedding date. Her female friends and relatives sing and dance to celebrate this joyful occasion. The Sangeet ceremony was earlier a wedding ritual in North India only but it is observed all over India. Both families of the bride and groom join to have fun with music and dance so that everyone can get over the stress of wedding preparations.
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Haldi – Turmeric paste is applied on the face, neck, and hands of the groom and then the bride in their own houses on the morning of the wedding day. This paste is known in different names in some Indian states, like ubtan, tel baan, and mandha. Its main purpose is to make the new couple look more beautiful during their wedding and also to ward off evil effects as per the Hindu belief.
Wedding day rituals – The main ceremony in a Hindu wedding starts with Kanyadaan. It is when the bride’s father places her right hand on the right hand of her groom, asking him to accept her as his life partner. Then comes Paanigrahan when the groom holds the right hand of his bride with his left hand while facing her and chanting the Vedic mantras promising to take care of her whole life. Vivaha homa is the sacred fire lit by the Brahmin priest where he burns some herbs and ghee, chanting mantras to purify the body and soul of both bride and groom by sprinkling water on them. Laja homa is the ritual of offering dry rice soaked in ghee to the sacred fire three times by the bride and groom together, as the word ‘Laja’ means ‘dry rice or barley’ in Sanskrit. Agni Pradakshina literally means walking around the fire and the new couple is supposed to move clockwise circling the sacred fire thrice. It is often merged with Saptapadi, which is walking around the fire seven times, the bride leading in the first three rounds and the groom leading in the rest four rounds.
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Vidai – This is the official farewell ceremony of the bride from her parents’ home. She throws rice five times backward over her shoulders to her mother, which is a gesture of paying back what she owed to her parents. Her brothers push the car when it starts with the new couple, indicating to help her start her marital life.
Griha Pravesh – This ritual is observed when the bride enters her in-laws’ house for the first time. She pushes a jar filled with rice inward with her right toe before crossing the threshold, which is a mark of welcoming her into the family. In some regions, the bride needs to tell the name of her husband before entering the house.
In this way, a Hindu couple completes all their wedding rituals before and after their marriage ceremony, ending with seeking the blessings of all their elders.
