Hindu wedding ceremony


In Hinduism, it is believed that a marriage is made in heaven, and once married, the couple’s bond to last for seven lifetimes.
Marriage is considered to be a turning point in an individual’s life as they enter into the second important phase or ashram of their life – the ‘Grihasthashram.

The Consent and satisfaction of the families are of highest importance in Hindu culture as the marriage is not only the union of two souls but also the union of two families, the involvement of the extended family and close friends are integral in Indian Hindu weddings.

Sakhar Puda
It is one of the main pre-wedding Marathi wedding rituals. It all starts with Sakhar Puda – the engagement ceremony. All though ring exchange was not a mandatory part of Sakhar Puda. But these days ring exchange is almost a part of every Sakhar Puda ceremony in Marathi culture

Kelvan
Kelvan is pre-wedding Marathi ritual which happens 2 or 3 days before the wedding day. The primary reason for the ritual is to strengthen the bond between the two families

Mehndi
The Mehndi Ceremony is organised and held by the Bride’s family, they invite the female members from both families to gather and have henna designs applied to their hands

The Sangeet
The Sangeet is a fun-filled ceremony where both the families get together to perform traditional song-dance routines, and whilst become better aquatinted. The bride’s family will sing folk songs welcoming the groom’s family

The Haldi
Haldi is a ceremony very common among the majority of Indian communities. Turmeric is the main ingredient which is ground to a paste along with other ingredients that vary with each culture from East India.

The paste is applied to both the bride’s and groom’s by elderly female members of their families before they are washed with sacred water

Antarpat Ritual
Antarpat ritual is an important ritual in a Marathi wedding. A silk shawl is placed in between the bride and groom as a curtain while the priest is reciting shlokas and mantras.

Kanyadaan Ritual
The daughters are closer to fathers. This ritual is about fathers trusting the groom more than himself. The father expects the groom to take care of his daughter. This is one of the most sentimental rituals for both the father and the bride

Saptapadi Ritual
The Saptapadi or the seven steps are also called the Saat phere in Hindi. Saptapadi is a Sanskrit word. In this ritual, the bride and groom take seven rounds around the fire or Agni. Each round has a specific significance and is equivalent to vow.

The key steps of Hindu wedding ritual are Kanyadaan and Paanigrahan, Vivaah Homa, Laja Homa and Agni Pradakshina, and finally Saptapadi according to Grihya sutras without these important steps the marriage would be considered incomplete.

Indian Hindu wedding is not just a ceremony it’s an extravagant festival as much as it is a beautiful union of two souls.

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