Hindu Matrimony
Hindu matrimony is also called as Vivah in Hindi and Panigrahana in Sanskrit. It is solemnised in accordance with the VEDAS, the holy scriptures of the Hindu religion. Before the wedding, the parents match the kundli of the prospective bride and the groom, if it matches only then they proceed forward and fix the day and date of marriage after consulting the pundit.
The Hindu brides wears a very beautiful red color lehanga or saree. The color or the design of the attire for the wedding can differ these days, due to the launch of the new wedding collection every day. There are hundreds of wedding designers in the country, which specializes and helps the bride and groom to dress perfectly for the most amazing day of their life.
On the wedding morning, various ablutionary rituals are performed on both the bride and the groom in their own homes. Their bodies are anointed with turmeric, sandalwood paste and oils, which cleanse the body, soften the skin, and make it aromatic. They are then bathed to the chanting of Vedic mantras.
The Hindu Marriage involves the following rituals
Baraat- the procession of the groom accompanied with his family and friends reach the marriage venue. The priest commences the marriage under a canopy that is specially decorated for the ceremony. The priest invokes blessings of God for the couple to be married.
Jaimala- In Hindu Brides he bride and the groom exchange garlands amidst the chanting of Vedic hymns by the priest.
Vivah- the ritual signifies the actual marriage. The priest ties one end of the groom's dress to that of the bride's, the knot signifies the sacred wedlock. Both of them then move around the fire for seven times, accepting the seven oaths which are chanted by the priest.
Kanyaadan- In the Hindu Matrimony the father of the bride pours out a libation of sacred water symbolizing the giving away of the daughter to the bride groom. The groom recites the Vedic hymns to Kama, the god of love. In return the father also takes promise from the groom that he will be with his daughter in realising the three ends of Dharma, Kama, Artha. The groom makes the promise to his father in law.
