Indian weddings

Indian weddings are often lavish affairs involving large extended families. When these take place in North America, they can be an interesting blend of cultures and of contemporary and traditional elements. The Arizona Daily Star yesterday ran an interesting, in-depth article on such a wedding that involved families in both Arizona and India.

Flowing silk, georgette and crepe in bright oranges, greens, reds and turquoises swirl in a sea of dancers. Gold jewelry glitters on wrists, ears and noses, and long matching scarves are flipped over shoulders. Excited chatter in Hindi and other regional Indian languages occasionally competes with hip-shaking Bollywood and Indian folk tunes. The extravagant traditional Indian wedding involved three days of jubilant celebration. The event, with its four Tucson locations and almost 400 guests from the world over, was more than the marriage of a man and woman; it was the joyous union of two families.

The article covered events during all three days of the wedding celebration. Here is a section of the story that explains the marriage ceremony:

The wedding ceremony consists of about 10 mantras and rituals recited and conducted by the priest and the bride and groom as well as members of their families. Each element is rich with significance.

The bride and groom exchange garlands made of red roses and white carnations to signify that they accept each other as life partners. A knot tied between their clothing symbolizes the couple’s union and Rachna steps on a stone to signify the strength of their relationship. A fire is built in a small cauldron and the couple adds rice and ghee, clarified butter, while circling the flames and praying for the god of fire to bless their marriage bond.

The saptapadi ritual involves the groom escorting the bride to take seven steps, each signifying a different aspect they hoped to have in their marriage – pleasures, energy, riches, overall well-being, progeny and seasons/longevity. The last step – friendship – legalizes the marriage…

Chandola asks everyone to raise their hands in blessing and many toss rose petals at the couple. Women from both sides of the family whisper good wishes into the bride’s ear and the newlyweds touch the feet of their elders, signifying their highest respect, and hug them.

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