Among Hindus, marriage is considered to be a very significant part of life. Referred as â€Garhastha ashram†- meaning a set up of a family unit, the marriage ceremony involves some distinctive rituals and can last for several days. Today, the traditional wedding ceremony for the Hindus is widely practiced in the northern regions of India. It is also practiced in other parts of the world where Indians affiliated to the religion reside in significant population. Hindu wedding ceremonies are quite fascinating with some Sanskrit recitations; an ancient Hindu language also considered being holy. Despite the fact that Indian marriage customs differ in accordance to the religion, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs as too considered to be Hindus. Therefore, they are allowed to intermarry while other people from different religions are not. During the period of engagement, the groom and bride are supposed to be officiated in a special ceremony referred to as vagdana; which means â€word-givingâ€. This pre-ceremony festivity is meant to introduce and notify friends and families that the two are engaged and wish to marry one another. Basically, the party acts as a formal processional way of the groom to introduce the bride to his family, after which they all head to a hall where the ceremony takes place. After the â€word-giving†ceremony an ancient Hindu â€fire†sacrifice rite is conducted to cement the bond, friendship and loyalty between the bride, the groom and their respective families. Prayers are a fundamental part of any Hindu ceremony. The fire sacrifice rite involves blessing the engaged persons according to the ancient roots of Vedic Yajna; which means â€fire sacrificeâ€. The rite requires the bride and the groom to make seven consecutive steps round a ritualistic and holy fire to sanctify their marriage. In a ceremony referred to as Saptapadi, the groom is supposed to assist the bride lift her steps while invoking in special recitals. The recitals are wishes of good fortunes and faithfulness of the bride to the husband, and that the couple may bear many and healthy children. The recitation also calls for the god of arch-lord Vishnu to bless the marriage. To end, the bride and the groom pray for the peace among people of the entire universe. India is a big land with a wide diversity of cultures. There are various other Hindu wedding ceremonies that have propped up as a result. In the instances where the two parties are from different Hindu traditions, two priests; each from either side are called to lead the wedding ceremony to equally represent each party respectfully. Some other popular wedding ceremonies include the Bandhi Bandhwana performed by a Hindu Pandit fifteen days before the wedding ceremony. It involves prayers to lord Ganesh to remove obstacles during the preparation of the wedding ceremony and the blessings of the couples. Another ceremony is the Kanya Daan where the father to the bride gives the bride to the groom’s family while friends, relatives and family members look on. Prayers, recitals and hymns are said to call upon blessings to the new marriage. Normally, there are also post-wedding ceremonies among the Hindus which follow to celebrate the new family.
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