Transcript hindu_wedding_ritualsx - British Council Schools Online

INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOLS AWARDS
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-POWERPOINT PRESENTATION-
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RITUALS IN
WEDDINGS
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HINDUISM WEDDINGS
WEDDING RITUAL.
• In Hindus life wedding is a very important
festival.
• Information based on hindus weddings are
written in many of their literature books.
• The variations may be based on family
,traditions, local traditions,resources of the
marrying families and other factors.
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• Some of the rituals are performed in different
ways in different regions.
ARRANGING THE
MARRIAGE.
• The use of jathakam (astrological chart of the time of birth)
of the son or daughter to match with the help of a priest is
common, but not universal.
• Parents also take advise from the Brahman called,
’jothidar’,who has details of many people looking to get
married.
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• In the recent years, with the onset of dating culture in
India , arranged marriages have seen a marginal decrease,
with prospective brides and grooms preferring to choose
a spouse on their own and not necessarily only the one
whom their parents find agreeable; this has been more
pronounced in urban and suburban areas than Ural
regions.
LOVE RESULTING IN
MARRIAGE.
• There are various instances from ancient scriptures of
Hinduism, of romantic love marriages that were accepted in
ancient times, for example Dushyanta and Shakuntala in the
story of the Mahabharata. However arranged marriages are
predominant and love marriages are generally frowned upon.
Despite some love marriages, the vast majority of Hindus
continue to have arranged marriages.
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• According to some estimates, there wasn't even 1% of divorce
among Hindu arranged marriages
EIGHT TYPES OF
MARRIAGE.
According to Hinduism there are eight different types of Hindu
marriages. Not all had religious sanction. The first four were
considered proper. Rakshasa and Gandharva marriage was regarded
acceptable to Kshatriyas as was Asura marriage for Vaishyas
and Shudras .The eight types are:
1.
Brahma marriage
2.
Daiva marriage
3.
Arsha marriage
4.
Prajapatya marriage
5.
Asura marriage
6.
Rakshasa marriage
7.
Paishacha marriage
8.
Prajapatya marriage
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THE HINDU WEDDINGSIGNIFICANCE.
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The hindu marriage symbolizes the physical and especially,
the spiritual union of man and woman. The rituals of the
hindu marriage ceremony highlight the interdependence and
the complementary nature of the man and wife relationship.
The maathorupahan or arthanareswarar, the half male half
female representation of Shiva and Shakti in hindu
cosmogony emphazises this ideal of man and wife
relationship in such a union. Venerated as even as Shiva and
Shakti, the bride and groom sit elevated in a space the priest
sanctifies for divine interventions in the solemnization. The
priest and guests traditionally sit on the floor as equal with
the idols of divinity. As tradition would have it, all events
related to the wedding are usually on a day and at a time
rendered auspicious by planetary positions.
NITCHAYA THAMPOOLAMHINDU ENGAGEMENT.
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Though hindu marriages are traditionally arranged.
Marriage by consent, the bride and groom
choosing one another, is also a trend.nithchaya
thampoolam which follows the choice, is the hindu
engagement.betalleaf leaf and its complement
betelnut are ceremoniously exchanged with other
gifts at the bride’s residence announcing the
betrothal.
PONN URUKKU-GOLD MELTING
CEREMONY.
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A significant occasion a few weeks or days
before the wedding is the Ponn urukku
ceremony attended by parents and elders
at which the groom presents a gold coin to
the family goldsmith for its ritual meltdown
to fashion the bridal pendant.
MAAPILAI ALAIPU
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At the appointed time on the wedding day,
the best man usually the bride’s brother,
following of relatives made up of wedded
pairs, sets off for the groom’s house. There
he place the turban on the groom’s head
and escorts him to wedding hall by the
groom’s family, relatives and friends.
MAAPILAI VARAVETPUWELCOMING THE GROOM.
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After the arrival of the groom from the wedding hall with, the
bride’s maid ,groom’s married sister, bridal saree and the
thaali.at the entrance to the wedding hall,which represents
the bride’s residence, her parents welcome the groom with a
floral garland. The tholan wets the groom’s feet with a
chempu of water, a gesture lavished on an honored guest,
and he is in return rewarded with a gold ring for his good
grace. Two ladies representing the bride and groom perform
aarathi to ward off evil.thereafter,the accompaniment of
nathaswaram and thuvil,the tholan and bride’s parents lead
the groom to the manavarai.
DIVINE PURIFICATION
AND PROTECTION.
The priest sprinkles holy water on the sanctifying ceremonial
area. Then he performs the pillayar poosai,a prayer to lord
Ganesha.the priest will give Thetpai(a grass),and a kaapu
made of saffron thread to be worn on his wrist.3 or 5 married
ladies chosen from both parties are called to perform paalikal
ceremony, sowing of navathanam(nine grains) to ensure
fertility in the union.
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The bride enters into the ceremonial area ,jewelled,and in
shimmering silks accompanied by Tholi,and ladies-inwaiting. The priest repeats the pavithiram and kaapu ritual for
the bride. Next is shakthi poosai, the thirukalyanam,followed
by the navakiraka poosai invoking the blessings of 9 holy
planets.the sacred fire,omum is now lit invoking the deity
agni to bear witness to the marriage.
KANNIKA THANAM – GIVING
AWAY OF THE BRIDE
The kannika Thanam ritual is the bride’s parents giving their daughter's
hand in marriage to the groom making her also a member of the
groom’s family. The priest calls the parents of the bride and the groom
to the Manavarai.
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The priest pronounces the names of three generation of male fore
bearers, both living and dead, of the bride and the groom inviting them
o bear witness to the marriage and bless the couple. The bride’s father,
betel and coconut in hand, place his daughter's hand in the groom’s
hand indicating that the groom accept cherish and project her all
though life. The bride’s mother indicates her consent by trickling water
into the hands of her husband, who gives a gold coin to the groom
symbolic away the bride. The groom accepts the coin and turn gives it
to his parents. This signifies the acceptance of the bride by the groom
and his family. The groom then presents Koorai and the Thaali to the
bride and welcomes her into his family. Before presenting these to the
bride, they are blessed by the elders in the congregation. The bride now
leaves the Manavarai and retires to her bridal boudoir. She then returns
to the Manavarai, dazzling in her gold braided Koorai, and garlands the
groom expressing thus her consent and acceptance.
THAALI KATTU – THE
NUPTIAL KNOT
The crowing stage of the wedding is the Thaali ceremony. Thaali, a gold
talisman with embossed sacred sings strung on a kodi (a gold chain) is
a cherished ornament a wife wears next to her heart till death parts
them. Kettimelam, Thavil accompanied by Nathaswaram rising to a
crescendo, to drown utterances or chatter of a house lizard that my
spell Abasakunam or bad omen.
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The groom stands and ties Thaali – Kodi (Thaali – Chain) around the
bride’s neck and with a finger sports her forehead with Kunkumum
(Vermilion dust) the red dot being called Kunkuma – Pottu, another
symbol of a married Hindu woman. Simultaneously, a shower of flowers
blesses the couple. The priest holds high a lit oil lamp symbolizing the
divine light witnessing the nuptial knot. Also, now, a coconut is cracked
into two halves by a close member of the family symbolizing a
bloodless sacrifice. The sweet coconut water signifying love, the white
kernel purity, and the broken shell selfishness shed. The wedded
couple now exchange garlands and the groom moves to accommodate
the bride on his left, Shakthi’s place beside Shiva and also the left half
she is seen in the Arthanareswarar Vadivam. They also feed each other
a mouthful of elixir, a mix of fruit, milk and honey, as promise of sweet
and endless love they hope to share. From this point the bride becomes
a Shatharmini, an equal partner in the discharge of social duties and the
attainment of their spiritual objectives.
PRADAKSINAM AND
POORANA AHUTHI
Agni, the god of fire, is central to most Hindu rites. Traditional has is
that marriages be also be solemnized in his presence. Here he stands
as the universal witness to the union – Agni Chaatchi. Accompanied by
the Tholan and Tholi, the bride and groom take their first steps as man
and wife to walk clockwise three times around the sacred fire to pay
their respect to Agni, the representative of the gods. Certain rituals are
performed while going while going around the fire.
At the end of the first round, Sapthapadi, taking seven steps facing
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north, is performed indicating the seven stage in the spiritual evolution
of man and woman, after which the groom takes the right foot of his
bride and places it on a granite stone, Ammi Mithithal, and slips a Minji,
a silver ring,on her second toe,indicating she as strongandsteadfast as
the stone in the face of adversity. On completing the second round the
groom slips a second Minji on the second toe of her left foot. Arunthathi
Paarthal at is this stage is the groom showing the bride the star
Arunthathi. It is significant that Arunthathi, wife of the revered sage
Vashistar, virtuous chaste and devoted, was place among the stars to
be model for all, both man and woman, to emulate. At this moment the
groom also is reminded that he remains chaste and faithful.
(CONT..)
This the priest does branch of a Mulmurukku, a tree with a myriad of
oval thorns (here sometimes substituted by a stick) planted in a clay pot
in front of the Manavarai. The thorns signify the thousand eyed
spectacle, Indra, the King of heaven, was transformed into by the curse
of sage Gautama for Indra’s tryst with the beautiful Ahaliha, the sages
wife. This is a grim reminder of the price Indra paid for his indiscretion.
Ahaliha turned by her husband’s curse into a stone for her infidelity
regains her human form purified and resplendent when the divine
Rama, on his way to Mithila, treads on it. This is the significance of
Ammi Mithithal the couple performed when they first circled the Omum.
Mothiram Eduthal or finding the ring contest between the bride and the
groom comes at the end of the third round. This provides for a lighter
moment eliciting giggles and chuckles as fingers play and flounder for
the ring in the privacy of the pot.
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Next, the couple perform the Poorana Ahuthi which is the offering of
grains, honey and fruits to the gods through their representative Agni,
in attendance as Omum the sacred fire, imploring them to bless and
render their wedlock holy.
AASEERVAATHAM –
BLESSINGS
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The priest fire blesses the couple, showering them with rice, a
symbol of happiness, prosperity and fertility, followed by the parents
of the groom, the bride, their close relatives and the guests. The
wedding ceremony ends with an Aarathi as the newlyweds stand at
the Manavarai.
VIRUNTHUPASARAM –
THE WEDDING FEAST
There is great rejoicing as a feast is spread celebrate a
momentous occasion. Mute blessings flow from guests
honored and entertained with a Virunthu (Dinner) from a
menu appealing to Arusuvai (The six tastes) that the human
palate is said to be able to clearly discern.
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Mangalam
“As I take your hand you, mine,
we unit forever in mind, body
and soul …….”
WEDDING CARDS.
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• Religious symbols such as Lord Ganesha and
Mangal Ghat are embedded in rich texture to seek
the blessings of God. The relevance of Hindu
invitations has undergone a radical change, since
the origin of Hindu Weddings all across the globe.
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SOME PICTURES OF
WEDDING RITUALS.
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ANY DOUBTS???
THANKS' FOR
WATCHING..
BY;
S.ANUJAN,
S.LITHUSAN,
S.KAJARUBAN,
J.THARSHANTH,
G.THIVYAKAJAN,
K.HARRISHAGAR,
P.VITHURAN,
M.KALAIARIVAN,
I.THARVEENRAJ.
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S.MATHUSAN,