A Look At Indian Wedding Traditions

Indian weddings are rich in ceremony and tradition. Many of these traditions use natural herbs, the finely ground henna plant and spices.

Here are just a few of the rituals performed by the bride and groom in front of their friends and family:

• Havan (Lighting of the Sacred Fire) ​The couple invokes Agni, the god of Fire, to witness their commitment to each other. Crushed sandalwood, herbs, sugar rice and oil are offered to the ceremonial fire.

• Rajaham (Sacrifice to the Sacred Fire) The bride places both her hands into the groom's and her brother then places rice into her hands. Together the bride and groom offer the rice as a sacrifice into the fire.

• Mangalphera (Walk Around the Fire) The couple makes four Mangalpheras around the fire in a clockwise direction representing four goals in life: Dharma, religious and moral duties; Artha, prosperity; Kama, earthly pleasures; Moksha, spiritual salvation and liberation. The bride leads the Pheras first, signifying her determination to stand first beside her husband in all happiness and sorrow.

• Menhdi (Henna Ceremony) The traditional art of adorning the hands and feet with a paste made from the finely ground leaves of the Henna plant. The term refers to the material, the design, and the ceremony. It is tradition for the names of the bride and groom to be hidden in the design, and the wedding night is not to commence until the groom has found both names. After the wedding, the bride is not expected to perform any housework until her Menhdi has faded away. 

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