The modern Hindu wedding ceremony does not necessarily last the five days of the traditional ceremonies of the past. More often couples, and their families, will choose which of the elements of the traditional service they want to include. These choices will reflect the traditions of the individual family, what they practice and what their caste is. No matter their choice some things must be done. All couples must marry under the mandap. This is similar to the chupa that is used in Jewish weddings. It has four posts that support a canopy. As well, the couple must have the sacred fire, called Agni, to serve as witness to the couple’s marriage.
Despite the fact that most of those who practice Hinduism cannot understand Sanskrit, part of the ceremony will be conducted in that language while the rest will be in their own dialect. This is because Sanskrit is the language of all religious rituals. How it is done, and what in particular is celebrated, will be decided by the couple and their families. The weddings are usually filled with tradition and bright colors. The more traditional weddings have the bride in a different brightly colored sari each of the five days; each one representing something different. But, to make it legal the bride and the groom must each walk completely around the fire seven times. This is not simply a beautiful tradition, it is the law.
There are so many elements that can be brought to the Hindu wedding ceremony that it must be difficult to choose which ones are the ones that count enough to be included. One possibility for inclusion in the wedding is the traditional arrival of the groom. Dressed in a long jacket, fitted pants, a turban and his sword, he arrives at the wedding site riding a colorfully adorned elephant or horse. The animal has been fed sweetened grain to make his life with his new bride that much sweeter. Dismounting he walks up to the entrance of the wedding site while the wedding song, the talota, is being played. He stops at the door, knocks and then goes inside.
The couple may choose to have their hands tied together once they reach the mandap. Then a prayer is said, a coin is placed in the groom’s hand and they are tied with his brides. The wedding ceremony itself is, of course, most important part of the celebration. During this the Hindu priest ties an end piece of the groom’s attire to that of the bride’s saree. This is the point at which they circle the fire seven times. During this circling they must make seven promises to one another, which will be the basis of their married life. Once this is done, they are married. But, this does not stop the events of the wedding from carrying on. There are many rituals that can be done after the ceremony including throwing flowers on the groom. He is defended by a male close to him. Then the bride and groom each put a garland on the other. The purpose of this is to show they each want to be with the other. There are so many more potential elements to a Hindu wedding ceremony it is no surprise that a traditional wedding could go on for five days of celebrating!
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