What Customs Surround A Hindu Marriage?

Hindu weddings are a unique celebration that involve various pre-marriage rituals, such as the Lagna Patrika and Sagai (Engagement). The engagement ceremony, also known as Mangni, is performed under the guidance of a priest, or pandit, who utters religious sayings while the bride and groom sit. The main stages of a Hindu wedding include Jayamaala, where the couple takes seven rounds around the agnikund and takes seven different vows.

The Hindu wedding ceremony at its core is essentially a Vedic yajna ritual, with three key steps being almost universal: Kanyadana, giving away of the bride’s red dress, and Paanigrahan. The bride’s red dress is also used in the Sangeet Henna Adornment during the Mehndi Ceremony.

A popular prewedding ritual is the Haldi ceremony, which is intended to bring happiness, prosperity, and peace through a ritual cleansing and purification. Wedding rituals embrace the five elements of nature: fire, earth, water, air, and ether, and include invocations to the Divine, followed by vows. A Hindu marriage is a “samskara” or sacrament and must be performed with ceremonies in the proper form to be recognized under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

There are several Hindu wedding rituals you must know if you’re getting married, including Muhurat, Roka or Tilak Ceremony, Barni Bandhwana, and Mehndi Ceremony. By understanding these traditions, you can plan a successful Hindu engagement and pre-wedding ceremony that reflects the unique cultural and religious practices of the Hindu community.

What are the rituals of Hinduism?

Hindus are expected to perform daily rituals as part of their household responsibilities, including morning rituals like bathing, offering prayers to the Sun God, and chanting the Gayatri mantra. Common rituals include puja, meditation, silent prayers, yoga, recitation of scriptures, reading religious books, participating in Satsang, performing charitable work, visiting temples, and chanting the name of their beloved God. These rituals, prayers, and sacred ceremonies are believed to help Hindus pay their reverence to God.

Prayers or Pooja are integral to a Hindu devotee’s life, performed under the guidance of Hindu priests or Brahmins. After every pooja, a sacred offering (Prasad) is made to God, without claiming reciprocal advantages. Hindus believe that performing these rituals helps in their spiritual betterment.

Hindu texts and holy scriptures outline various rituals that Hindu devotees must perform throughout their lifetime, with holy sites being of great importance as they are considered God’s abodes. Hindus pay homage to their ancestors at these sacred sites, and prayers are performed to bestow long-lasting peace and unite them with the Divine power.

What are the rules for Hindu wife?

Hindu texts advise marrying within one’s own community but prohibit marrying those from the same lineage or gotra. The bride should not be from the same gotra or born in the same lineage. Parents can choose from descendants of more than seven generations on the paternal side and five on the maternal side. The use of jatakam or janmakundali (natal and astrological chart at the time of birth) is common but not universal.

Parents also consult Brahmin astrologers called Jothidar in Tamil, Panthulu or Siddanthi in Telugu, and Kundali Milan in Hindi, who hold astrological data for those looking to get married. Some communities, like the Brahmins in Mithila, use genealogical records (“Panjikas”) maintained by specialists.

A jatakam or kundali chart is drawn based on the placement of stars and planets at the time of birth. Hindu astrology believes that the position of celestial objects and their benefic or malefic influence influence the auspicious compatibility between a bride and groom. If the astrological chart of the two individuals achieves the required threshold, further talks are considered for a prospective marriage. If both parties consent, an auspicious time is chosen for the wedding to take place.

Can husband press wife legs in Hinduism?

A review of scriptural and traditional sources reveals no evidence that a husband is prohibited from touching his wife’s feet. This practice is not considered customary due to the traditional gender roles that have been established in many cultures.

Is kissing okay in Hinduism?

Hindu greetings are typically accepted through handshakes or the Hindu Namaskar, which involves clasping palms together and holding them vertically near the chest. This form of greeting differs from the conventional practice of hugging or kissing the opposite sex.

What is the daily Hindu ritual?

The traditional Hindu householder performs morning and evening adorations (sandhya), which are mainly Vedic but have been extended with Puranic and Tantric elements. These ceremonies involve self-purification, bathing, prayers, and recitation of mantras, particularly the Gayatri-mantra, a prayer for spiritual stimulation. The ritual includes applying marks on the forehead, presenting offerings to the Sun, and meditative concentration. There are Shaiva and Vaishnava variants, and some elements are optional.

Image worship in sectarian Hinduism occurs in both small household shrines and temples. Regular temple worship to a deity of devotional communities is believed to yield the same results as performing a great Vedic sacrifice. The patron of a temple is considered a “sacrificer” (yajamana).

Building a temple is considered a meritorious deed for those seeking heavenly reward. The choice of a site is determined by astrology, divination, and proximity to human dwellings. The size and artistic value of temples range from small village shrines with simple statuettes to great temple-cities with boundary walls enclosing buildings, courtyards, pools, schools, hospitals, and monasteries.

What is a Hindu ritual called?

Puja is a Hindu worship ritual that involves offering devotional homage and prayer to deities, hosting and honoring guests, or spiritually celebrating events. Puja is a loving offering of light, flowers, water, or food to the divine, and is the essential ritual of Hinduism. The divine is visible in the image, and the divinity sees the worshipper. The interaction between human and deity, or guru, is called a Darshanam.

Puja is performed on various occasions, frequencies, and settings, such as daily home pujas, occasional temple ceremonies, and annual festivals. It can also be held to mark lifetime events like births, house entering ceremonies, first rice-eating ceremonies, weddings, sacred thread ceremonies, or new ventures. The two main areas where puja is performed are in the home and at temples to mark certain stages of life, events, or festivals such as Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Janmashtami, and Lakshmi Puja.

Puja is not mandatory in Hinduism, and it may be a routine daily affair for some Hindus, a periodic ritual for some, or rare for other Hindus. In some temples, various pujas may be performed daily at various times of the day, while in other temples, they may be occasional.

Why do brides in India wear red?

Hindu wedding brides wear red due to its significance in Hindu culture. The color represents the goddess Durga, representing feminine power and new beginnings. It is also the color of Mars, the planet overseeing marriage. Red is auspicious, blessing the couple with a strong and everlasting bond, representing love, power, passion, and fertility. It is believed to bring good luck and prosperity, warding off evil spirits and ensuring a harmonious union in the future. Wearing red imbues brides with power and confidence, as they will be leaving their home and entering their husband’s family after the ceremony, which can be a life-changing adjustment.

Can husband and wife sleep together during periods in Hinduism?

Manu Smriti, a Hindu text, emphasizes the importance of menstruation and its role in social hierarchy. It instructs Brahmin men to avoid sharing a bed with menstruating women, having sex with them, eating food touched by them, and holding conversations with them. The text also states that if a man touches an “untouchable”, “menstruating woman”, “anyone who has fallen from his caste”, “a woman who has just given birth”, “a corpse”, or anyone who has touched a corpse, he requires cleansing through a bath.

The text also links menstruation to the Vedic story that links menstruation, guilt, sexuality, and Brahmanicide. In this story, the god Indra commits Brahmanicide by killing Vicvarupa, a demon-like Brahmin. To absolve himself of this “sin”, Indra appeals to the earth, trees, and women to each take a third of his guilt, which they each do and receive a boon (blessing) in exchange. After the women take on Indra’s guilt, it becomes a woman with stained garments, and one should not converse with her, sit with her, or eat her food.

These practices fit within the instructions governing control of bodily substances and caste distinction recounted in Manu Smriti, but are intensified by the Vedic story associating moral negativity with menstruation. The text explains that the progeny of a woman who has intercourse during menstruation will be “accursed” and that a man should therefore not have intercourse with a menstruating woman. A later Dharma text addressing the specific duties of a Brahmin wife emphasizes this idea, asserting that a child resulting from intercourse during menstruation will be an “untouchable” or “cursed”.

In summary, menstruation is associated with impurity in Brahmanical Hinduism due to its position within codified systems governing bodily secretions and caste distinction, as well as its association with sin and guilt. Sangam literature, a precursor to the Brahmanical system, references ananku, a concept translated as a “sacred power” expressed through and filling women’s bodies at menarche, during menstruation, and following childbirth. Menstrual taboos and practices recognize the sacred power of the female and were instituted for reciprocal protection.

Can husband and wife bath together in Hinduism?

It is not obligatory for a married couple to shower together; however, some couples elect to shower together on an occasional basis. The frequency and timing of shared showers are contingent upon the preferences of the couple in question and the individual preferences of both partners.

Can a girl get married during periods in Hindu?

In Hindu Vedic traditions, a menstruating bride is excluded from wedding ceremonies due to the influence of ancient beliefs and energy dynamics associated with menstruation. These beliefs consider menstruation to be a natural cleansing and renewal process, as outlined in the shastras.

What is the meaning of 7 steps in Hindu marriage?

The Saptapadi, a traditional Hindu Indian wedding ritual, involves the bride and groom taking seven steps on the mandap, symbolizing their journey through the seven stages of life. The ritual, derived from Sanskrit words “Sapta” (meaning seven) and “Padi” (meaning steps), promises love, companionship, and mutual support. The Saptapadi symbolizes the journey and unity between the couple, promising to nurture, support, and respect each other.

In today’s era of transformations in marriages, the Saptapadi serves as a timeless reminder of the core values that form the foundation of a harmonious and prosperous married life. The first step, “Commitment to Nourishment and Growth”, represents the commitment to nourish each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually, fostering the family’s growth and development.