I have been asked to write an essay on the subject of Rites Of Passage, focusing on one type of ceremony.

I have chosen to research the Hindu wedding. Hindu wedding have many rituals and traditions, so I think it will be a very interesting subject to study. The Hindu wedding involves many rituals, so I will focus on some of the more important or remarkable rituals that take place to explain what the wedding involves. At the start of the ceremony the brides parents welcome the bridegrooms family over the threshold of the place of the wedding, painting a red kum-kum (a type of powder) mark onto their forehead , which symbolises the start of the bond between the two families. When all the guests are gathered the bride and bridegroom exchange jayamaala (garlands) and say traditional vows. Soon after, the main and legal part of the ceremony is performed. It is known as Sapta-Padi, and involves the couple taking seven steps and reciting a prayer with each for food, strength, prosperity, wisdom,progeny, health and friendship, after which a simple marital knot is made. Hindu weddings have also changed a lot over time, as forced and child marriages are more widely recognised as illegal and wrong around Asia. This has lead to slightly different vows, as they now include the lines "Let all the learned persons present here know, we are accepting each other willingly, voluntarily and pleasantly. Our hearts are concordant and united like

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waters., and the weddings have taken on a more legal aspect. However the ceremony itself is deeply traditional and has changed only marginally. In the Hindu religion, weddings are very symbolic, with different rituals sometimes making the weddings last for days. Some of the symbols include: Gau Daan: An exchange of gifts between the families, including Mangla Sootra, a necklace that is the sign of marital status in a Hindu woman, similar to Christian marriage rings. Vivaha-homa: The lighting of a sacred fire while a Hindu priest (Purohit) recites sacred Sanskrit mantras. Offerings are made to the fire while saying Id na mama, which means It is not for me. This symbolises the selflessness needed for family life. And finally, Surya Durshan and Dhruva Darshan: The newly married couple look in the direction of the Sun, to be blessed with the creation of life, as the Sun creates life, and in the direction of the Polar Star (Dhruva), which symbolises steadfastness, as the polar star is seen to be strong and immovable. In Hinduism marriage is very important, as it marks the second stage in the life of a Hindu, 'Grihistha Ashrama. This means the start of a family unit,and is often thought of as the most important stage. The ceremony will impact the persons entire life afterwards, because it will join them spiritually to the person they will be with for the rest of their life. The symbolism in the ceremony is centred the joining of the couple, and the sharing of this

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experience will create bonds between the pair. In this religion, marriage joins not only the couple, but the pairs families. This will introduce the families into different communities and they will be considered as an extension of each others families, so that two large groups of people are connected closely. This means that festivals and religious ceremonies will be performed with the family in future. As marriage in Hinduism is traditionally arranged between families, marriage can be a very uncertain time, with both the bride and the bridegroom will have met only a few times, sometimes never, and they will be unsure of their future life with a person they have hardly met. But it can also be a very exciting time, as they prepare to move on to the next stage of their life. I think that they will feel very different after the ceremony, because it is a very hard thing to devote your life to one person in a short amount of time, and they will feel a very strong connection to their partner afterwards. Marriage is undertaken by most Hindus, but it is not a necessary ritual, as marriage is a very personal choice. Although some Hindu marriages are regarded as forced, this number has gone down significantly with the introduction of new laws. I think that people should have a choice in their marriage, and that a person does not have to marry to have a happy and fulfilling life. In conclusion, the ritual of Hindu marriage is very complex, involving several separate ceremonies over several days, and all these

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ceremonies are centred around the bond between husband and wife. Marriage in Hinduism is not a necessary ritual, but is often organised by the families of the couple, and it is a very family based event, with not only the bride and groom becoming partners, but the families of the pair are joined as well.