10 Important Ritual of Hindu Wedding That We Need to know

Hindu wedding is a festive, traditional, vibrant, well-planned cultural festival. The essence of a Hindu wedding is the physical, spiritual, and emotional connection of the two. It is also about the gathering of two families through prayer and celebration. There are many rituals in the Indian Hindu wedding which are incomplete without Shrifal or decorative coconut. 

Marriage is holy righteousness that no one tends to question. It is a perfectly harmonious bond of love, faith, and friendship. But modern marriages are not as sacred as you might imagine.

Hindu weddings lie in the middle of couples’ expectations and connect family traditions. Many ceremonies and mini-ceremonies occur from the day of the leading wedding ceremony, connecting the couple and both families forever. All Hindu wedding customs and rituals have pious philosophical and spiritual importance. Giving Shrifal or decorative Nariyal symbolizes auspiciousness in Hindu culture, whether it is a wedding, festival, or another occasion.

In this blog, all the essential rituals of the Hindu wedding are given; let’s check it out:

1. Ganesh Pooja

All Hindu rituals begin by worshiping the Lord Ganesha, the God of wisdom, purity, innocence, and intelligence. Ganesha is having the head of an elephant. He removes all obstacles from all auspicious occasions or pujas. Therefore, Lord Ganesha is also known as ‘Vighna Harta’. After that, the ceremony can proceed unimpeded.

Before starting any Hindu poojas or rituals, Lord Ganesha’s praise is done, and then pooja occurs. Then, only an event or puja takes place. The bride and groom put the Shrifal at the lotus feet of the Shree Ganesha.

2. Lagna Patrika

Lagna Patrika is a formal engagement ceremony and the couple’s subsequent marriage announcement. At the time of this ritual, the couple exchanges a written pledge that their wedding will occur on the day of their choice in the future.

Another ritual known as Wagdaan takes place and is a part of the engagement. The shape of Wagdaan varies from family to family, but usually, it is necessary to change the ring as a marriage promise. Wagdaan is also known as Mangni, which takes place at the time of the engagement party. Elder family members give Shrifal to both the bride and groom as a sign of auspiciousness.

3. Hawan and Mayara

Before the fifteen days of the wedding, the Barni-Band hawan ritual occurs. On the wedding day, priests tie up the Mauli on the hand of the groom and his parents. It is a way of asking God to protect them from all evil.

After that, Mayara, which is another ritual, takes place. In this ceremony, the bride’s maternal uncle gives wishes to her spouse’s family with gifts and treats. Historically, they also brought the dresses worn by the bride and her mother to the wedding, but this is not always the case in modern Hindu weddings. And with the dress, they’ll give the decorative coconut with Rupees on it as ‘Shagun’.

4. Haldi Ceremony

Haldi ceremonies, also known as Mandvo or Pithi, are pre-wedding ceremonies. The reason for putting haldi on the body is that the color tone becomes fair of bride and groom.

The yellow color paste of Haldi represents beauty, nurture, purity, exploding from evil, and congratulating the couple on their marriage. Haldi has so many benefits; therefore, it is used to prepare the food and on your face for a healthy glow.

Haldi heals any injury if taken in milk, and you can use it in cleaning up your skin. All the family members put the Haldi paste on the bride and groom’s faces.

5. Mehndi

Mehndi is also the pre-wedding event. Traditionally, brides and bridesmaids, including all the women in the family, apply the mehndi on their hands and feet in various designs.

The bride’s parents host the Mehndi ceremony, and applying it on the hand can take some time. Dance is done in this ceremony, so everyone enjoys and has fun in the mehndi ceremony. Mehndi is put in the hands of the men and women. Bright colors, especially orange and pink, are popular choices.

6. Sangeet

Sangeet represents a pre-wedding event full of songs and dances; the wedding celebration begins. It is also a pre-wedding event, sometimes called Galva in Sanskrit. Other parts of the wedding, such as Haldi, tend to be more festive, religiously intent to the wedding events, but sangeet is all fun.

The purpose of sangeet is to enjoy the wedding and share joy and happiness with everyone. At the Sangeet ceremony, friends and family generally perform the dances and sing songs they have prepared. Moreover, there is lots of music, fun, and enjoyment in the sangeet.

7. Antarpat

Antarpat is a cloth that blocks the couple’s view at the beginning of the ceremony. It shows their personal life and existence before the ceremony. In this ceremony, the bride and groom cannot see each other faces. Therefore, removing the Antarpat means that the two souls become one.

Cotton is used to make the Antarpat. There are various designs on the Antarpat, like the images of Ganesha, Hasta Milap, and Hindu swastikas.

8. Gathbandhan

The Gathbandhan is the part of a Hindu wedding that involves a couple “tying a knot.” The groom’s shawl is the tie-up with the bride’s shawl during this ritual, praying to Goddess Shiva, Parvati, Lord Narayan, and Lakshmidevi, seeking a solid and healthy marriage.

The connection between the scarf and the neckerchief symbolizes the unity of the couple’s souls into a new life through a sacred marriage. The girl’s mom does this ritual.

9.Kanyadan or Hasta Melap

Kanyadaan means “giving up the bride” in Sanskrit and is a symbolic ritual during Hindu wedding ceremonies. First, the bride’s father takes his daughter’s right hand and puts it on the groom’s right hand. It symbolizes a couple getting into marriage and being the partner for life. In addition, the ritual symbolizes the accepting parents of marriage and represents the letting go of their daughter. After Kanyadaan, Hastmelap takes place, in which the bride’s mother pours holy water into the couple’s hands.

10.MangalSutra and Sindoor

Groom put the Mangal Sutra on the neck of the bride and it is a divine necklace. Mangal Sutra is the symbol of dignity. It means the promise that the couple will always be together.

Mangal Sutra protects against evil and is consists of black and gold beads, which could be a recent fashion statement. It signifies that people that you are not single anymore. Furthermore, after tying the mangal sutra, the groom puts the sindoor, which is of red or orange color, on the bride’s head in maang.

Shrifal or decorative Nariyal is given to the bride or groom as a sign of auspiciousness; every Hindu ritual and most of the Hindu festivals like Holi, Diwali, Rishi Panchami, Guru Purnima are incomplete without Shrifal. Shrifal represents Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh, the Hindu deity, the creator, protector, and destroyer. Devotees pay tribute to God by putting it in the lotus feet of God.

Decorative coconut is given to the bride and groom and other family members with money or gifts. Giving Shrifal symbolizes joy and lifetime happiness.