Merrily Rang The Bells And They Were Wed!

· by · in Photography. ·

So, I was away from WordPress and blogging for a couple of weeks. While I missed the cornucopia of posts of my blogger friends, I was actually celebrating one of the most precious occasions of my life, my sister’s wedding.

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It’s Me With the Bride 

Well, as my Indian readers know, Indian weddings start a week before the auspicious day and, the celebration continues for another seven days post-wedding. It’s a family get-together in the largest scale where all the relatives from both the bride and groom’s sides join and enjoy to the fullest accompanied by music, dance, delicious cuisines and traditional rituals.

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The Bride

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The Groom

So, it started with a music session where the bride, bridesmaid and every other woman present use mehndi or henna to make designs on their hands. Mehndi is a paste created from the powdered leaves of henna plants (Lawsonia inermis). A Mehndi artist attended the ceremony and wonderfully made intricate designs on our hands. The arabesque patterns made on the bride’s hands were fascinating.

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We, Bengalis, have another ritual where we apply a paste of turmeric and milk to the bride and the groom. According to the Vedic custom, turmeric is considered as a plant representing the sun and, application of the paste symbolizes good luck to the couple. Every single rite and ritual has a meaning of its own and is performed with austerity and tradition.

Of all the customs and rituals of Hindu marriage, perhaps the most important are the Sanskrit mantras (chants) and the Seven Vows (Saptapadi in Sanskrit) taken in front of the sacred fire. On the marriage day itself, in presence of a priest, family, all the relatives and guests, the bride and the groom make seven promises to each other taking seven steps together encircling the sacred fire. All along, they say the ‘mantras’ and asks the Gods and Goddesses to bless them with food, strength, fidelity, progeny, wealth, comfort and health.

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Before Taking The Seven Vows

The ritual of applying vermillion or sindoor daan (a symbol of married Hindu women) is then followed. The groom applies the vermillion on the bride’s forehead for the first time chanting the mantra,
यदेतद्धृदयं तव
तदस्तु हृदयं मम ‍।
यदिदं हृदयं मम
तदस्तु हृदयं तव ‍॥
Loosely translated as, “The heart of thine shall be mine, and this heart of mine shall be thine.”

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Registering The Marriage Officially

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Watching the Fireworks Together 

The bride and groom, after this, exchange the wedding rings and all the guests present, wish them. This ring-exchange ceremony often happens a day before marriage in some families.

Decorations With Fruits & Vegetables
Decorations With Fruits & Vegetables
Preparing The Mocktails

Now, at this moment, my sister and brother-in-law are on their honeymoon to Egypt. My sister has promised me to write a guest post for my blog on her trip. So, stay tuned for that.

I’ve missed a lot of posts during the time. I’ll soon catch up with you all. #HappyBlogging

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162 responses to “Merrily Rang The Bells And They Were Wed!”

  5. OH WOW!! how beautiful you both are Mani.. So lovely of you to share these precious photo’s of your sisters wedding.. I loved each of them, and found it so interesting about the turmeric paste Turmeric is so good for you in many ways and can see why this is used to represent the life of the Sun..
    Loved reading the customs of your wedding.. And will look out for updates from Egypt. 🙂 a fantastic place for a honeymoon.. 🙂 ❤ xxx

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