Paragraph Title: The Hindu Wedding Ceremony
The Hindus attach a lot of importance to their weddings ceremonies, which are very colorful and often extend for several days. The Hindus ensure their ceremonies are gorgeous and invite many people so as to show their status. Wedding rituals vary in different regions and castes, but some rituals are major and common to all Hindus. For example, the bride’s hands and feet are decorated with henna in complicated patterns. it This is called “mehendi” Mehendi is used to make the bride more beautiful and strengthen her love for her husband. In the ceremony, the bride, and groom and their families go through many rituals, but the most important one is walking around the sacred fire and the seven steps. Walking around the sacred fire signifies the bride’s determination to always stand beside her husband. The seven steps signify the beginning of their journey through life together. It also signifies they are legally married. In fact, modern Hindu wedding ceremonies are often much shorter than they used to be and don’t involve all the traditional rituals, but normally involve the sacred fire ritual. Though Hindu wedding ceremonies have been modernized in recent years, common rituals remain and people have respect for these rituals.
Miyuki Takizawa
References
“Hindu wedding from Wikipedia”
Downloaded from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_wedding on Friday, June 1
“Hindu Wedding Rituals”
Downloaded from http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/extra/bl-wed.htm on Friday, June 1
“Hindu Tradition-WeddingDetails.com”
Downloaded from http://www.weddingdetails.com/lore/hindu.cfm#rituals on Friday, June 1
