Key rituals
There is no single standard Hindu
marriage ceremony. Regional variation is prevalent in the sequence of rituals
comprising the ceremony. There is also considerable flexibility within each
ritual. Variation reflects family traditions, local traditions, resources of
the families and other factors. Three key rituals predominate, as follows. Two
are yajna.
·
Kanyadana – the giving away of his
daughter by the father.
·
Panigrahana – a ritual in presence of fire,
where the groom takes the bride's hand as a sign of their union.
·
Saptapadi – the crucial ritual. The term
means 'seven steps', with each step corresponding (in the Long Form) to a pair
of vows: groom to the bride, and bride to groom. The vows are pronounced in
Sanskrit; sometimes also [in the language of the couple. (For
the Short Form see below.) Like Panigrahana, Saptapadi is performed
in presence of fire, and in many weddings, after each of their seven oaths to
each other, the groom and bride perform the ritual of agnipradakshinam:
walking around the fire, with hands linked or with the ends of their garments
tied together. The groom usually leads the bride in the walkFire is the divine
witness (to the marriage), and after Saptapadi the couple are considered
husband and wife
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