The regular Indian marriage ceremony and accompanying festivities will enthral an onlooker with a fantastic display of traditional dance and music, warm and gracious hospitality and vivacious culture. Since India as a country is a mosaic of cultures and religions, no two marriage ceremonies will be alike; each such wedding portraying a unique aspect of the bride and the groom's background, religion and ethos.
As per Hindu belief, marriage is considered a sacred union with a deep social and spiritual connotation attached to the wedding ceremony. Likewise, the other religions practiced in India attach an analogous significance to the ceremony. All rituals of an Indian wedding are primarily based on family traditions.
Hindu Vedic scriptures describe marriage as the beginning of a person's journey of growth from self €" centeredness to other €" centeredness. Also, it is made clear from the vows taken during the marriage ceremony that the purpose of marriage is not mere satiation of sensual urges.
In fact, the institution of marriage affects not only the bride and the groom but also the entire society. It is a pledge taken to keep intact the strength, sovereignty and honour of the future generations of the nation.
India being a secular country, inter caste or inter religion marriage among consenting parties is not prohibited. The state has enacted legislation such as the Special Marriage Act, 1954 to facilitate such unions among its citizens in line with its constitutional ideology and practice.
The Courts in India are empowered to ratify and give legal sanction to such weddings. Then, of course, at the other end of the spectrum is the €Big Fat Traditional Indian Wedding'. It is an affair which may well be held over the course of a week to ten days and is more or less guaranteed to be resplendent in appearance.
The opening up of Indian markets to the outside world some twenty years ago and the rapid strides of globalization have infused prosperity into an erstwhile austere populace. The benefits of this new found prosperity have had an impact on all sectors of Indian society and the Indian wedding scenario is no different.
These days for a young couple soon to tie the knot, there are a plethora of options available such as concept weddings, designer weddings etc. and there are professional wedding planners catering to such needs. Also gaining importance are the pre-marriage Engagement ceremony and the post €"marriage Honeymoon both of which are now part and parcel of the standard Indian Wedding. The more money one is willing to spend the more lavish and exotic one's wedding is guaranteed to be.
Over the years the €Reception€, an event conducted after the wedding rituals, has also become a part of the ceremony. It is an event which is vibrant and lively, the purpose of which is for the groom's family to get to know the bride's extended family, relatives and acquaintances.
Thus, in this manner from the aforementioned, a brief idea as to the constituents, intricacies and modalities of an Indian Wedding can be garnered and understood.
As per Hindu belief, marriage is considered a sacred union with a deep social and spiritual connotation attached to the wedding ceremony. Likewise, the other religions practiced in India attach an analogous significance to the ceremony. All rituals of an Indian wedding are primarily based on family traditions.
Hindu Vedic scriptures describe marriage as the beginning of a person's journey of growth from self €" centeredness to other €" centeredness. Also, it is made clear from the vows taken during the marriage ceremony that the purpose of marriage is not mere satiation of sensual urges.
In fact, the institution of marriage affects not only the bride and the groom but also the entire society. It is a pledge taken to keep intact the strength, sovereignty and honour of the future generations of the nation.
India being a secular country, inter caste or inter religion marriage among consenting parties is not prohibited. The state has enacted legislation such as the Special Marriage Act, 1954 to facilitate such unions among its citizens in line with its constitutional ideology and practice.
The Courts in India are empowered to ratify and give legal sanction to such weddings. Then, of course, at the other end of the spectrum is the €Big Fat Traditional Indian Wedding'. It is an affair which may well be held over the course of a week to ten days and is more or less guaranteed to be resplendent in appearance.
The opening up of Indian markets to the outside world some twenty years ago and the rapid strides of globalization have infused prosperity into an erstwhile austere populace. The benefits of this new found prosperity have had an impact on all sectors of Indian society and the Indian wedding scenario is no different.
These days for a young couple soon to tie the knot, there are a plethora of options available such as concept weddings, designer weddings etc. and there are professional wedding planners catering to such needs. Also gaining importance are the pre-marriage Engagement ceremony and the post €"marriage Honeymoon both of which are now part and parcel of the standard Indian Wedding. The more money one is willing to spend the more lavish and exotic one's wedding is guaranteed to be.
Over the years the €Reception€, an event conducted after the wedding rituals, has also become a part of the ceremony. It is an event which is vibrant and lively, the purpose of which is for the groom's family to get to know the bride's extended family, relatives and acquaintances.
Thus, in this manner from the aforementioned, a brief idea as to the constituents, intricacies and modalities of an Indian Wedding can be garnered and understood.