Traditional Indian {Hindu} Weddings

Today I am going to be posting about the beauty of the traditional Indian ceremony. The majority ceremonies that take place in India follow the Hindu format. A Hindu wedding can be quite long (it can last around 5 days!), therefore many modern couples will choose only certain elements of the wedding to perform. I am not going to describe each piece of the wedding but for a full description of the ceremony follow this link {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_wedding}.



Traditionally an Indian bride will wear a red gown. This is not always followed in todays culture, but look at how gorgeous these brides are!



This woman isn't wearing red, but she is so pretty!
Below are some photos of some of the rituals of the wedding:

This is photo of the robe of the groom and the gown of the bride being tied together to represent the sacredness of the marriage.
This is a photo of the brides feet covered in Griha Pravesh. This is a mixture of vermillion powder and milk or water which represents good fortune and purity and is applied to the brides feet by the mother in law upon entering her new home.

This is a photo of the groom who traditionally rides to the brides home on an elephant or horse.

I also want to share with you the traditional 'vows' of an Indian ceremony. These aren't traditional vows but rather promised that the couple makes to one another as they take seven steps around a sacred fire.

• "Let us take the first step to provide for our household a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious to healthy living."
• "Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental, and spiritual powers."
• "Let us take the third step to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use."
• "Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness, and harmony by mutual love and trust."
• "Let us take the fifth step so that we are blessed with strong, virtuous, and heroic children."
• "Let us take the sixth step for self-restraint and longevity."
• "Finally, let us take the seventh step and be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock."

{English translation via www.theknot.com}