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Marriage in Different Religion

India is known for its rich cultural heritage and diverse customs where marriage means a union of two individuals who start the new journey of their life together. . In India where different religions exist, the customs related to marriages differ. Be it Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Jewish, Buddhism, Jain and Christianity every religion has its own norms and practices regarding the concept of marriage. So, although the marriage practices are diverse across different cultures but one thing that remains unchanged is the celebration and the effervescence of the ceremony called wedding.

So if you have ever wondered about knowing the different marriage practices in India, this can be a delight for you.

Hindu Wedding

In India, where the majority is formed by Hindus, the marriage practices are seen as a sacred duty that entails both social and religious obligations. Though there is also much variation in the Hindu religious customs in accordance with the regions and communities, the overall customs remain same throughout. The Hindu weddings are a big gala affair with various pre-wedding ceremonies like Ganesh Puja, Haldi, Sagan, Sangeet and Sagaai. Both the families of the bride and the groom participate in the ceremonies and enjoy the festivity and union of two souls. And finally on the day of wedding, marquee is laid out and auspicious rituals like Jaimala, Kanyadaan, Sindoor, Mangalphere and Saptapadi are performed. Hindu marriages are a lavish and an extravagant affair especially the north Indian Hindu marriages held at night..

Muslim Wedding

After Hindus, Muslims form a major chunk of Indian Society. Muslim weddings in India are also celebrated with equal pomp and gaiety. Though Muslims form the minority in India, but their weddings are a grand affair with the equal solemnity and grandeur. Known as Nikaah, the wedding is held at either bride or the groom’s place at any convenient time. There are three phases of weddings which are strictly followed by the Muslims. In the pre-wedding phase, rituals like exchange of sweets and fruits are performed. Mehndi ceremony is their significant function that is accompanied by dance and singing. On the day of wedding, in the presence of the friends and relatives, the Maulvi(priest) conducts the ceremony and reads the important verses from Quran. Thereafter, the ritual of Ijab-e-Qubul (proposal and acceptance) takes place, the Groom sends his proposal to the bride. The marriage is said to be solemnized only if the girl gives her consent. 

Christian Wedding

In India like the Hindus and Muslims there are vast majority of Christians too. A Christian Wedding celebration in India is simple yet charming. Christian wedding is a subtle and a charming affair. The ceremony is conducted in the church with the best man who is someone very close to the bridegroom, greeting the bride with a bouquet. The bride is then accompanied by the father to the altar. The groom declares his wedding vows in the presence of two witnesses from both the sides. The couple exchanges their rings and the priest blesses the newly wedded couple and declares them husband and wife. The couple then walks down the aisle together. Everyone then joins the couple for the reception party. Here, the wedding cake is cut, and everyone raises the toast in the name of the bride and the groom.

Sikh Wedding

Like Hindu, Muslim and Christians, Sikhs are also an important part of the Indian Society. Very much similar to the Hindu marriages, the Sikh marriages also involve different rituals and customs popularly known as “Anand Karaj”. It is a colorful and unique ceremony with big spectacular events, tons of food, music and energetic dancing. In the early morning the wedding takes place in the Gurdwara with the Reht Maryada, which is the official Sikh code of conduct. It specifies certain guidelines that translate that as long as both the boy and girl profess the Sikh faith they will remain in the wedlock. The guidelines strictly forbid any sort of dowry system, astrology and any other superstitions associated with wedding date or time. Different rituals are associated with the Sikh marriages, which are performed on different days.

Parsi Wedding

Compared to the other religions in the country, the population of Parsis is very less in the country, yet the Parsi rituals and traditions hold a distinct identity in the Indian society. In a Parsi marriage, the gathering on the marriage day is called Shahjan, the gathering for the queenly bride. The bridegroom comes first to take the seat in the room where the marriage is to be celebrated. The bride comes later. The Parsi lagan or marraige is called ‘Achumichu', which takes place either at a Baug or at an Agiary.

Buddhist Wedding 
Buddhist Religion is also a very popular religion in India. Based on the principles of brotherhood and fraternity, the religion preaches simple living and high thinking. The Buddhist marriage in accordance with its principles is very simple and sober. With no religious obligations like horoscopes and astrology and no social obligations like feast and grandeur, the Buddhist marriage is more a family affair than a social or religious one. There is no hard-lined ritual for a Buddhist wedding ceremony; however people generally visit the temple and take blessings from the monks to solemnize the marriage.

Jewish Wedding                                                                                  

The Jewish population in India is very limited, yet they are an important part of our diversified culture. The Jewish traditions are interesting yet simple. In the Jewish religion, marriage is considered to be mandatory as a single person is considered to be incomplete. The Jewish wedding ritual can be divided into two basic phases- the kiddushinor engagement phase and nissu'in or the actual wedding. While kiddushin leads to a change in the conjugal status of the bride and groom, nissu'in or the actual wedding is important to bring a legal change.  Kiddushin is a ring ceremony where the groom places a ring on the bride's right index finger and the bride just clenches her fist to show her acceptance. However, one the day on the day of nissu'in, the couple is joined in matrimony, under the chuppah.

Jain Wedding

Jain religion also forms an important part of Indian society. They have a very interesting culture that adds to the diversity of Indian traditions. Marriage is considered to be very pious in Jain religion. As the Jain community does not believe in wasting time and money over the pomp and show of marriage, they Jain marriage is comparatively a less extravagant and more ritualistic affair.   The most important rituals of Jain Wedding Ceremony are Phere, Kanyavaran, Havan and Granthi Bandhan. Once these four rituals are completed, the wedding of the couple is said to have been solemnized.

The above mentioned are the most common wedding practices of different religions in India. There are many other weddings like that of Jain, Jewish, etc. that take place following the rules and customs provided by their respective religion.