The Importance Of The Hindu Wedding Traditions

There are some events and life that are considered life milestones. Being born, going to school, getting married, having kids, and death are some of the main milestones that are pretty common across many cultures. One that is generally celebrated a lot is the wedding ceremony. Throughout history and across cultures, the wedding ceremony is an important aspect that can be observed and cherished. Even though many cultures do have a wedding ceremony, all the wedding ceremonies are not necessarily the same. For instance, the Hindu wedding ceremony has a specific set of rituals and rites that make it a unique ceremony. Wedding ceremonies in the Hindu culture are also considered a joyous occasion. In the Hindu religion, the wedding ceremony …show more content…
The entire wedding ceremony takes place in front of a ceremonial fire (Hindu Wedding Honors). The wedding ceremony starts with a prayer lead by the priest and introduction about the attendees’ role in the ceremony (Kotwal, 2012). Guests play a large role in the wedding ceremony itself unlike the weddings of more western cultures. The role of the guests is twofold. The first is to be a witness the couple’s commitment to each other (Kotwal, 2012). The other role of the guests is to bless the couple in approval of the marriage (Kotwal, 2012). Due to tradition, the wedding is said to take place at the bride 's elders ' home, regardless of whether or not it actually takes place there (Kotwal, …show more content…
The groom is usually welcomed by the bride’s family and given a seat on the right side of the stage from the attendees’ perspective (Kotwal, 2012). Traditionally this happens at least one day before the wedding and is usually announced with lots of fanfare. Gifts may be presented at this time to the groom (Kotwal, 2012). After the arrival of the groom is the arrival of the bride, which is also done with fanfare and also music of trumpeters, flutes, and oboes (Reymond, 1957). The bride is historically escorted by a maternal uncle to the wedding venue but it may also include the elders who are emotionally closest to her, which is her parents in many cases (Kotwal, 2012). The bride takes place on the left side of the stage from the attendees’ perspective and gifts may also be presented at this time (Kotwal, 2012). The exchanges of the gifts may take a considerable amount of time, so it is not unheard of to have performers who entertain the crowd during this time (Reymond,