Weddings are the most joyous as well as the most emotional moment in one’s life. People all over the world, take it as another opportunity to add happiness in their lives, moreover, it’s a moment of lifetime, and it is said to the beginning of a new life altogether. Marriage is said to be the bonding of two souls into one, it is the purest form of relation one shares with his life partner after his mother. Matrimony in different countries is witnessed through different cultures and customs according to their religious practices and norms.

Especially, marriages in India are observed with great respect and believe. The people of India, have great trust in the ritual called marriage, they take it as the bonding for seven lives or birth. Here, rituals, customs, religion, prayers, principles, God, believe, temples, are given more importance than any other thing. The rituals observed in Indian marriages vary according to the area, religion, language and the community. India is a land of unity in diversity and the different types of marriages practiced in the country proves the grandness in the culture the country has.

The scale, at which the Indian marriages are celebrated, corresponds to the seriousness and importance of the marriages in the Indian system. Here, it’s obligatory for women to get married and lead her life, being the responsibility of her husband. The women are considered as the Greh Laxmi, and are supposed to bring positive vibes in the house; they are in many religions also given the stature of Goddess. India has around 21 languages except Hindi, 28 states, ‘n’ number of religions and further infinite number of caste, each caste having different rituals for performing marriage ceremonies. This is the vastness of the types of marriages celebrated in India.

Each religion be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Christian, or any other celebrate the marriage with great pop and gaiety. The shopping, preparations, functions, ceremonies, form an important part of the marriages. Shopping for the bride, groom, relatives, and friends is a tiring job, which acquires a lot of time and energy, but is still enjoying and interesting. One gets to explore the latest fashion trends in terms of clothes, jewellery, house holds, home- interiors, infrastructure, etc. which is quite a different experience if the person is involved in all the marriage preparations. Food for the marriage is the most important part, it is a very delicate part of the marriage, as food is something, which is remembered over the ages, especially Indian food being popular all over the world for its tastes.

The functions of the marriage start few days before the actual marriage ceremony, with a common culture of engagement, in which the Indian bride and groom exchanges rings with each other, which is followed almost everywhere in Indian matrimonies. Then, follows the rituals, in accordance to the religion and the community to which the bride and groom belongs. Mehandi is another event, which is the most common and popular ritual practised in Indian marriages, in which the Indian is applied with Heena or Mehandi designs on her hands and feet, marking a shagun for the marriage. In some castes, mehandi is applied on the groom’s hand also, as a type of blessings from the elders in the family, as the same is applied by elders on both the hands of Indian bride as well as the groom.

Then comes the final day of wedding, of which the rituals are observed either in the early morning hours or late night, depending upon the religion in which the marriage is performed. The ceremony involves customs, which binds the Indian bride and groom for the rest of their lives in a sacred relation called marriage and they both are required to walk hand in hand in all the situations of life.

Few useful links:

http://www.jeevansathi.com/

http://www.jeevansathi.com/matrimonial-matrimony-gender-bride-matrimonials