By Gopi Birla Memorial School, Mumbai

Shaily Sanghavi
Mansi Shah
S.Preeti

Marriage

Marriage, a strong bond, a relationship between a man and a woman. It relies on the pillars of love, complete trust and faith in the spouse. In India, since ancient times, girls have had the right to choose their life partners (swayamvar). Marriages in India are known with different names like Parinay, Shaadi, Vivah, Kalayanam, and Lagna, etc.
Some forms of marriages commonly practiced in India are :
Arranged marriage : The girl/boy has complete trust on his/her parents to choose a good life partner. The parents hold the “talk” and decide the dates of the ring ceremony or engagement, and other ceremonies of the auspicious marriage. They call a scholarly priest to fix the date and match the kundalis (horoscopes) of the couple.
Love marriage : It has become a common feature during the 20th and the 21st centuries. The girl and the boy “fall in love” with each other and inform their parents later. The marriage generally occurs with the consent of the parents.
Other important forms of marriages are :
Gandharva Vivah : The two get married prior to informing anyone. It takes place either in a temple, church or a Gurudwara (a Sikh temple) depending on their religion. It usually breaks up a family.
Rakshasa Vivah : The boy chooses his bride and takes her away without her consent. It is generally disapproved in society. It is seldom performed.
Traditional Indian marriages : After the choosing of the boy/girl, different kinds of ceremonies take place. The first one is the Engagement or the Ring ceremony where the boy and the girl exchange rings. It is believed that the nerve in the ring finger is connected directly to the heart. Then “mehendi” (the traditional decoration of the girl’s limbs with beautiful henna designs) is applied on the girl’s hands and feet. This is called the “Mehendi” ceremony. Then is the “Sangeet” ceremony where people sing and dance merrily to celebrate the joy of the wedding. Then is the “Mamera” in which the maternal uncle of the bride picks up the bride. This is followed by the “Haldi” (turmeric) ceremony. In this ceremony, traditionally, the bride and the groom are individually bathed with turmeric or haldi. Then the main wedding ceremony takes place. In this, the seven pheras (rounds of the fire) and the promises or vows are taken. They are :
You will take care of my parents, my guests and me.
We will always be together in good and bad times.
We will have complete trust in each other and will not desert each other.
You will accompany me in any religious activity like puja, etc.
Whatever the income is, we will disclose it to each other.
If one is suffering from any disease, then the other will take care and serve with love and affection.
Bond of seven lives.
Then the groom puts sindoor (vermilion) on the bride’s maang (forehead). Then the bride leaves her parental house for her husband’s. The bride’s family bids them a tearful farewell. This is called the ‘vidai’ (parting of bride from parental home).
The marriage is performed in the auspicious presence of both the families and friends. The Constitution of India has fixed the marriageable age for men and women in the country. The minimum age for marriage for girls is 18 years whereas boys can get married at the age of 21 years.