User talk:Hinduvivah

Hindu Vivah or Indian marriage ceremonies are bright and colorful. Traditional marriage ceremonies may last for 3-4 days. Grandeur, color and fun are seamlessly blended with culture and heritage in Hindu Vivah ceremonies. Each ritual has a story or a deep meaning to it. Detailed traditions of Hindu marriages can be found in ancient scripture named ‘Manusmriti’. Hindu Vivah’s traditions can be broadly classified in pre-wedding rituals, the vivah ceremony and the post vivah rituals.

Indian Wedding Rituals, hindu wedding rituals Shagun ceremony Traditionally the shagun ceremony holds an important place in the pre-wedding rituals. Once the girl and the boy have consented to the marriage, the elders in the families chose an auspicious date for the shagun ceremony. This date may be calculated with help of astral calendar often known as Panchanga. On the day of the Shagun, groom’s mother visits the bride’s house with gifts, clothes, betel nut, rice and incense. Jewelry and sweets are also added to the Shagun. Acceptance of the shagun by the bride signifies her formal consent to be the daughter in law of the family

Engagement or Sagaai / Mangani Mere engagement is the word which denotes the future bonding of the marriage between boy and girl and denote boy and girl to Future husband and future wife. Sagaai refers to the engagement ceremony where the girl and boy exchange rings in the presence of the elders and friends. Sagaai is a grand affair just like the marriage ceremony. It is accompanied by fun, dance and music. Lavish feast is designed for Sagaai. Sagaai ceremony marks the mutual agreement and consent for marriage by both the families.

Mehndi Mehndi ceremony is organized by the women of the house. Female guests are invited to participate in the Mehndi function that is marked with music and dance. Mother of the bride applies a small dot of Mehndi on bride’s small finger. An expert Mehndi artist then draws intricate Mehndi designs containing auspicious symbols on bride’s hands and feet. Other women may also indulge in applying simple Arabic Mehndi designs on their hands. Modern day brides may opt for simple Arabic Mehndi designs on the back of the hand and traditional Indian designs on the palm. Mehndi is often organized in evenings and guests are offered sumptuous dinner. Mother of the bride may also ask the Mehndi artist to write the groom’s name amidst the Mehndi design. The groom has to find the name in post wedding rituals.

Sangeet Sangeet ceremony is held in the house of the bride and the groom separately. Sangeet ceremony consists of music, dance and fun. Bride’s friends revel in teasing the bride about her future husband. Elders of the house sing traditional songs and bless the bride. Sangeet ceremony also involves pampering the bride as she is nearing the last stage of her single life. Some communities may have different ceremonies within the Sangeet ceremony itself. Churi ceremony may be held with the Sangeet function. In this ceremony, all the women are presented with different bangles of their choice

Haldi Haldi ceremony plays the vital role in the marriage and it is the most important and auspicious occasion in both bride and groom side. This ceremony is conducted a day prior to the wedding. Freshly ground turmeric mixed with fragrant extracts of jasmine and sandalwood is applied on the bride and the groom’s body. Turmeric holds a special place in Hindu culture. It is considered auspicious. It is believed that Haldi ceremony imparts a natural glow to the bride and the groom. Raw turmeric stick (halkund) is tied to a yellow thread and is tied around the bride’s hand. Bride and the groom are not supposed to leave their houses until the day of the marriage ceremony.

Navagraha pooja Navgraha puja is performed separately at the bride and the groom’s houses in order to seek blessings from the nine planets. Navgraha puja is generally performed by the family priest.

Baraat Baraat is the wedding procession, where the groom arrives at the marriage venue on a white mare. Friends, relatives and family members of the groom accompany Baraat. Music is played with brass band party and relatives and family members dance throughout the procession. It is consist of very pump and show in many community the Groom come on the godhi (female white horse) which starts from the godh chaddi a small ceremony where that female white horse offered something to eat like grains.

Madhuparka Father of the bride then welcomes the groom to the vivah mandap. Holy fire is lit by the priest, who starts chanting the Vedic verses signifying the start of the wedding. Lighting of holy fire is also known as vivah homa. After the vivah homa is lit, the priest chants Vedic verses for the groom. After sometime, the bride’s sister or the sister in law guides the bride to the vivah mandap, where she is seated next to the groom. Bride and the groom repeat the verses as directed by the priest (pandit ji)

Kanyadaan Kanyaa daan refers to giving away the daughter in marriage. During the Kanyaa daan ceremony, father gives the bride’s left hand in the groom’s right hand for the marriage. The groom promises the bride’s father that he shall protect her and be with her in good times and bad times. Paani- graham: during this ceremony, the groom accepts the bride as his lawfully wedded wife.

Lajja homa the couple now offers ablutions of puffed rice to the vivah homa.

Shila Arohan In this ceremony, the bride has to stand on a stone slab, marking her entrance into the married life. She is then counseled by her mother about being a good wife and a good daughter in law.

Sapta-padi or Mangal phera During this ceremony, the bride and the groom take seven phera around the vivah homa. Each phera symbolizes the marriage vow. It is also believed that the seven pheras mark the union for seven births. For the first four pheras, the groom leads the bride and for the next three pheras, bride leads the groom. Mangal Aashirwad: during this ceremony, the newlywed couple seeks blessings from the elders in both the families. Anna Prashan: The newlywed couple breaks their fast by feeding each other a morsel of food. Wedding guests are also served food.

Griha Pravesh Bride is welcomed in to her new house by her mother in law by applying Tilak on her forehead. She seeks blessings from the elders in the family. After the Griha Pravesh the bride and groom have to participate in various fun filled games where they are pitted against each other. Some of these games include, finding the ring from bowl of water mixed with milk, turmeric, kumkum and rose petals. Winner of this game is said to be dominant of the two. These games are played with the idea of comforting the bride and helping her to adapt with the family members.

Path phera It is also known as pag phera in north India bride returns to her mother’s house on the fourth day after the wedding. The groom’s family visits the bride’s house on the fifth day to take her back to her lawfully wedded house. Bride’s family members prepare a lavish feast to welcome the groom and his family for the Path-phera. You can see photos of different Indian Vivah Traditions