Hindu Wedding Ceremonies

Hindu weddings, otherwise known as vivahas, are considered very important traditional practices within cultures of India. These wedding ceremonies consist of varied rituals that are dependent on the type of culture practicing it. Despite the differences between Hindu cultures, they typically exhibit the same basic wedding traditions. These include Kanyadaan, Panigrahana, and Saptapadi. During the ceremony, Kanyadaan is carried out and is the process in which the bride’s father takes her hand and passes her along to the groom. Shortly after, the Panigrahana takes place and both the soon-to-be bride and groom hold hands and place them over a burning fire and simultaneously chant phrases of vows, “as a sign of their union"(Aishwarya 2013). The final and most important of these rituals is the Saptapadi, where the bride and groom take seven steps around a fire while making martial vows with each one. In most cultures, after the Saptapadi, the couple is now considered husband and wife.