Rite Of Passage Report

The rite of passage I got to witness was an Indian wedding/marriage. This experience was very blissful and unforgettable. The indian couple that I witnessed get married, had an arranged marriage, which is one the most common practises used by indians. The parents were in control of their children and of the marriage. I noticed the process of the parents looking for the significant other, they were to examine the religion, caste, wealth, horoscope and beauty. After the parents approved of the significant other, they had a ritual called a “Magni”. The Magni was an engagement ceremony consisting of the two families and close relatives. In this ritual the couple had to exchange gold rings to ensure they are officially engaged. The soon to be bride and groom were engaged until the dates of the wedding were made, that was founded by an …show more content…
Prior to their marriage they prayed to this god to seek a happy marriage and to remove any obstacles the couple may face. The second prayer on this day was the Grah Shanti (worship of the 9 planets), this was a significant practice in the indian wedding which helped to ensure the couple to have a successful life in the future. The last ritual of this ceremony would consist of the Ghari Puja, a prayer to celebrate the soon to be bride and groom by giving presents of coconut, rice, oils and nuts. The second day in addition to the marriage, that I witnessed was called Mehndi ceremony, this was celebrated later in the evening at a banquet hall with almost all family and friends, from both the bride and grooms side. The Indian society were highly passionate when it came to beauty and sophistication, which was revealed in the Mehndi. This ceremony was almost as big at the actual wedding day. During the Mehndi, the bride was applied with uptan (tumeric paste) on her face, legs, feet, arms and