|
|
 |
There is great variation in the form and function of the marriage ceremony within the subcontinent. Marriage ceremonies always involve an elaborate and extended exchange of gifts between the two families. The actual wedding is usually held at the bride’s house. It may last several days — or even longer — filled with music, song, and dance. The house is cleaned and the participants purified with the donning of new and fine clothing and jewelry. A Brahmin priest, reciting ritual mantras, officiates over a Hindu wedding. During the ceremony, the bride is formally offered to the groom; an agreed-upon dowry or other gifts is presented; important relatives bless the couple; and the couple walks seven times around a sacred fire or ritual pole, or performs a similar ritual before a sacred fire.
Applying mehendi designs on hand
Photo by Renaldo Maduro, 1969-70
|
|
|
|
