Rebirth of India: Superior

On the wedding day, the first thing to be done is the Geng Yadan ceremony, which is a ceremony in which the bride's father hands the bride to the groom.

Fire is humanized in Indian weddings and is recognized as a witness at the wedding. People put ghee in the fire and chant hymns from the Vedas.

At this time, Shakru and Amisha were brought to the fire. Amisha's father asked Shakru: "Shakru Pandit, are you willing to be Amisha Patela's husband?" "(I feel like I'm taking some work away from Christian priests)

Shakru nodded and said: "I do!"

Then Amisa's father asked: "Can you fulfill all the responsibilities of a husband?"

At this time, Shakru must answer loudly: "It can be done!" In fact, this is also a guarantee to all relatives and friends in the audience.

Then Shakru said to Amisa: "You and I will grow old together. I will feed you, clothe you, and protect you. I wish you health, longevity, and many children!" (I think this sentence is a bit awkward, but in the information That’s how it is written, I have never attended an Indian wedding)

Then Shakru and Amisha said together: "We will help each other and live in harmony from now on. Our hearts are as pure as water and we are one person!" (Still feeling awkward)

After saying this, Amisa's father handed over his daughter to Shakru, and asked Shakru to promise that he would meet his wife's requirements in the future and never abandon her.

The Geng Yadan ceremony is followed by a handshake ceremony. The bride's father puts his daughter's hand into the groom's hand and sprinkles a little water to indicate that he has handed over his daughter to the groom. At this time, the groom should hold the groom's hand and recite six mantras, and swear to the bride: "I hold your hand and wish you happiness. You will grow old with me and be a life-long partner. It is mine to support you." Responsibility!" He also said: "We have handed over our hands to each other, and we will love each other and depend on each other!"

After these are completed, the bride is given a sacred thread. In India, high-caste men must wear a sacred thread as soon as they are born, while women can only wear it after they get married. Therefore, the sacred thread on the wrist means that the woman has been married, and the woman The material of the sacred thread must be the same as that of the husband, which is also in line with the principle of obedient marriage. However, this makes no difference to Shakru and Amisa, because both of them are noble Brahmins.

There should be three knots on the bride's sacred thread, reminding the bride that your lifelong obligation is to serve your parents, husband and son!

Then there is the Helao ceremony. The bride's brother lifts one of the bride's feet and puts it on a stone. At this time, the groom will say to the bride: "After you climb on this stone, you must abide by it like it." Follow the rules, be law-abiding, be consistent, and fulfill the responsibilities of a virtuous woman (i.e., give birth to children, take care of her husband, take care of the house, etc.)" Then the two prayed to the God of Fire together.

As mentioned earlier, fire is the witness of the wedding, so worshiping the God of Fire is a very important ceremony in the wedding, called the Rajhom ceremony. It is also a blessing ceremony. The bride and groom stand facing the east with a fire in the middle. They regard the fire as a god and use the god of fire as a witness to complete this wedding ceremony.

The groom and the bride throw the cooked rice in their hands into the fire, pray to the God of Fire, and recite three mantras to bless the bride, so that she can become a mother soon, enjoy the joy of having a child, and bless the child to grow up and live a long life. The whole family is happy and prosperous.

In addition, the bride also prays to God to bless her husband's health and health, and that her love with her husband will grow day by day. She also wishes that her mother-in-law's family and her husband's family will become rich, and that their family will be rich and prosperous forever. At this time, the groom will give the bride some clothes to show his determination to support his wife.

The worship of the fire god is not limited to prayers, there is also a ritual of circumambulation of the sacred fire called sabodabodi. The bridegroom and the bride use the God of Fire as a witness to circle the fire seven times, saying an oath every time they turn, so it is also called the Seven Oath Ceremony, or the Seven Circle Ceremony.

This kind of holy fire used for circling is a fire burned with seven different kinds of wood, which represents a high religious significance. When performing this ceremony, the hands of the bride and groom are connected with a ribbon, with the groom in front. , the bride is behind, and the two circle the sacred fire seven times, each circle is a wedding vow, and Agni, the god of fire, is the witness of the wedding vow.

Because the "holy fire" can burn away all evil things and protect the new couple's happy life. So these 7 circles have a very profound and important meaning:

In the first circle, meals are always provided;

Second lap, good health;

The third circle is to follow the rules of the Vedas throughout your life;

The fourth circle is a lifetime of happiness;

In the fifth circle, the number of cattle and other animals in the family increases day by day;

Circle six, every season is beneficial;

On the seventh lap, all the sacrificial activities were successfully completed.

After these seven circles, the groom and the bride make a final wedding vow: "We have walked seven circles, you belong to me now, we have become spouses, and I belong to you. I can't live without you in the future. Let us share happiness We are words and words. You are the thought and I am the sound. We are friends now and I will never abandon this friendship. Let us live together forever. life.”

The groom also has to apply cinnabar powder in the bride's hair and wear an auspicious chain on her. For a married woman, these two things are symbols and signs of becoming a wife. After circling the "holy fire", the bride and groom performed a touching ceremony to their parents and elders present. At this point, the wedding came to an end, followed by a grand wedding banquet and song and dance performance.

It is not difficult to see from the above rituals that Hindu marriage rituals are very complicated and have a strong religious component. All rituals are inseparable from worshipping gods, praying and singing religious songs. The above rituals can generally be seen everywhere, but they are particularly popular in North India. However, there are differences in the practices of some rituals between states, and even within the same state.

ps: Although Chinese weddings, especially those in Northeast China, are not as troublesome as those in India, I am still very tired. Now I finally deeply understand why everyone does not divorce, because getting married is too troublesome and I never want to do it again!

ps2: After the wedding, I will go to Xi'an for a trip and walk along the Silk Road. It will take about half a month, so the updates during this period will change. I will try my best to update continuously, strive for one chapter every day, and it will be stable when I come back on the 18th, so don't think that this book will not be written!

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