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Hindu wedding traditions

A Hindu wedding, or vivaha, is one of the samskaras, the life rites, and is usually held before a sacred fire.

A Hindu wedding, or vivaha, is one of the samskaras, the life rites, and is usually held before a sacred fire. It can last an hour or several days, and it differs widely by region, language and caste. What follows is an outline, and families will tell you their own version.

The sacred fire and the seven steps

The fire, Agni, is the witness. The central acts are the saptapadi, seven steps taken together around the fire with a vow for each, and in many communities the pani grahana, the clasping of hands. Under the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 in India, the saptapadi completes a marriage where it is the custom of the parties. Other rites include the garland exchange of jaimala, the tying of the mangalsutra in the south, the sindoor in the north and east, and the laja homa, in which rice is offered into the fire.

Kanyadaan and its debates

In kanyadaan the bride's father places her hand in the groom's, a rite often translated as the gift of the daughter. Some Hindus see it as the highest act of generosity. Others, including reformers since the Arya Samaj and many modern couples, object that a woman is not a gift, and skip it or change it so that both families give each other. Priests are divided, and the debate is open.

Regional variety

A Tamil Brahmin wedding includes the kashi yatra, the oonjal swing and the tying of the thali. A Bengali wedding has the shubho drishti, when the couple first look at each other under a betel leaf, and the sankha and sindoor. A Gujarati wedding has the jaimala and the mangal pheras. A Malayali Hindu wedding is brief, with a thali tied in front of a lamp. A Marathi wedding has the antarpat and the mangalashtak chanted. Nepal, Bali and Fiji each keep their own forms, and Balinese Hindu weddings have a distinct ritual structure.

About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Hindu (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindRiteVowBetrothalGift customAttireAdornmentPerformanceFeast customBlessingPlayFamily roleSettingModern
StageFinding a matchEngagement and betrothalThe weeks beforeThe eveProcession and arrivalThe ceremonyThe wedding feastReception, dance and giftsAfter the wedding
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreProxy marriage A union where one or both partners are absent and represented by another person.Vow · The ceremony 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreBridal ChorusTreulich geführt The Wagner opera march played for the bride's entrance at Western weddings.Performance · Procession and arrival 🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSame-sex marriage in Sweden The legal union for same-sex couples that began on 1 May 2009 after the Riksdag passed a gender-neutral law.Modern · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWedding ring A metal circle worn on the finger to show that a person is married.Attire · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWedding superstitions Traditional beliefs about luck and omens that shape wedding rituals across culturesAttire · The weeks before 🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreBread and salt A traditional welcome offering of bread and salt to guests or newlyweds in Slavic, Baltic, and Balkan cultures.Feast custom · The weeks before 🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreDożynki A Slavic harvest festival where farmers bring the last sheaf of grain to the village in a ceremonial wreath.Feast custom · After the wedding 🇽🇰 Kosovo and 2 morePodruga A second wife brought into the home to bear children when the first marriage is childless.Family role · Engagement and betrothal

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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