A Guide to Hindu Wedding Traditions & Ceremonies

The journey to the big day of an Asian wedding is a long one. There are a number of engagement traditions as well as general pre-wedding traditions and this only ramps up on the day of the wedding itself.

Hinduism is perhaps the oldest continuing religion in the world, with sacred texts estimated to date back to 3000 B.C. Many of its traditions have lasted for aeons, with origins lost in time. A Hindu wedding, one of the most sacred of rites, incorporates many of these timeless rituals and customs.

The Hindu Wedding Ceremony unites two souls spiritually, mentally and physically. The bond of matrimony is sacred and the ceremony of marriage is conducted according to Vedic traditions. The ceremony will be conducted in the ancient Hindu language of Sanskrit and translated to English by the priest.

The wedding day kicks off with the Baraat, the all-singing all-dancing wedding procession of the groom and his family. The Baraat can and often does include luxury cars, booming music, and a horse.

The groom leaves his home with his baraat (wedding procession) heading towards the wedding venue with his friends and relatives in tow. Once at the venue, the precession will commence will dhol players, a band or both to announce the arrival of the groom, his family and his friends.

The brides family formally welcomes the Groom, his family & friends. The Bride’s mother applies a tilak on the Groom's forehead and then escorts the groom, his family and friends into the venue. He is then led inside and the priest performs a brief ceremony. Following this the mother of the bride grabs the nose of the groom playfully to remind him that it is he who has come to their home to ask for the hand of her daughter and he must make every effort to keep her daughter in good humour and comfort always.

The Groom will then be asked to smash a clay pot with his foot breaking it into pieces. This demonstrates that he has the power to overcome all the obstacles the couple may face in their married life. The groom is then escorted to the Mandap.

Before the ceremony begins, the Priest invokes Lord Ganesh, the Hindu elephant God that removes all obstacles, as a precursor to nuptials about to take place. The Ganesha Puja is performed by the Bride's parents, the ceremony begins by offering a prayer to Lord Ganesh requesting peace and harmony to prevail during the ceremony. Lord Ganesh’s blessings are sought for an auspicious beginning for the couple. Traditional Indian weddings are incomplete without Ganesh Puja.

The Bride’s parents perform a ceremony where they wash the Groom's feet, offer flowers and Madhuparka. It is stated in the Vedic scriptures that at the time of marriage the groom is a representation of Lord Vishnu. At the end of the ceremony, a veil of cloth (Antarpat) is held in front of the groom to prevent him from seeing the bride as she enters.

The bride is escorted by her maternal uncle(s) to the Mandap. Once the bride is in the mandap, verses (Manglashtak) are chanted as the veil is lowered and the couple exchanges flower garlands (Jai-Malas). The bride offers the first garland declaring that she has chosen the groom on her own free will. The groom will then return the compliment by offering her a garland welcoming her to a new life together and promising to look after her.

The Groom’s scarf is tied to the Bride’s shawl while chanting prayers to Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Lord Narayan and Goddess Laxmi Devi praying for a strong marriage like theirs. The knot symbolises the union of two souls joined together in Holy matrimony.

This ceremony is performed by the Bride’s parents. They give away their daughter in marriage by placing her hand on the Groom’s right hand. The bride’s parents pray that their son-in-law will look after their daughter.

A small sacred fire is lit in the centre of the mandap inviting Agni. The Fire God, the symbol of light, power and purity while offering ghee, rice and flowers into the flame. These prayers have a special importance, for it is Agni who dispels darkness and ignorance in life and leads us to eternal light and knowledge.

The couple circle the Holy Fire four times as the priest chants Mantras. The Groom leads the Bride on the first three feras (Circles), while the Bride takes over for the fourth and final step-signifying balance in their marriage. The four fera’s represent the four basic goals of life: Dharma (Moral sense to lead a good life ), Artha (prosperity), kama (Energy and passion) and moksha (liberation through self- Realization).

When the couple make their last round together, they rush back to their seats. Racing to sit down first, As part of the tradition, it is said that whoever takes their seat first will be the ruler of the household.

This is the most important rite of a Hindu marriage ceremony. The word, Saptapadi means "Seven steps." The couple take seven steps to symbolise the beginning of their journey together for life. The couple takes a vow at the beginning of each step as they receive blessings from the priest and everyone present.

After the seven steps, the marriage is and legally recognised in their faith. Now, as with the exchange of rings, ceremonies begin where both the groom and bride are identified as married to each other.

The Groom places Sindhoor at the parting of the Bride’s hair to symbolise that she is now a married woman. With the Mangal Sutra, the groom places a golden necklace with black beads around the bride’s neck, signifying his love, integrity and respect for her.

Now the marriage ceremony is complete and the bride and groom are together, it is time for the family and friends to celebrate this.

The married women are invited to greet the couple and whisper in the Bride’s right ear their blessings and good wishes of a blissful married life, prosperity and happiness.

The newly wedded couple then seek blessings from their priest, their parents, relatives and friends for a happy married life together.

After lunch & photo’s the final part of the ceremony takes place. The couple leave the mandap, the Bride is given a handful of rice which she throws over her head behind her as she leaves to symbolise a repayment to her parents for all that they have given her throughout the years. The Bride will say a tearful farewell to each family member as she says goodbye to her maternal family and starts a new life with her husband & his family.

However, that's the end of the main ceremony! On to the grand reception, which is a whole other glamorous event in itself. It will naturally be far less tradition-laden than the actual wedding itself. Get ready for some great food and an evening of dancing.