Sociology Around the World: Marriage in India

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The bride and groom will then repeat the seven vows or Pheras to each other. It is one of the most serious and sacred affairs during the ceremony. These seven vows are the seven promises which the bride and the groom to each other for a happy and prosperous life together. They will be bound together by an unseen bon and protected by these promising words. While the groom is placing the Mangalsutra on the bride he will begin his seven vows. Any marriage is seen incomplete without these vows and can only be completed once both the bride and the groom speak them. The vows state that the groom will take care of his bride, while the bride will also perform her duties in order to have a successful, lifelong marriage.

After the seven vows are spoken, the bride and the groom will then take seven steps (Sapthapadhi) together, confirming their external friendship. The groom seals his commitment by applying vermilion/kumkum to his bride’s forehead, signifying that he is welcoming her as his partner for life. Another tradition is when the groom shows his bride the Arundhati Nakshatram. This is a star in the constellation that historically, Arundhati was considered to be the chastest of all woman. It is thought that if the bride sees this star, she will be just as chaste. Finally the Barat is held. This is the reception for everyone, friends and family to come together and celebrate. This is the only ceremony that is non-ritualistic. It is meant for everyone, not just family to show their respect to the newlyweds. Since the reception will be twice a big usually another wedding hall is rented. The groom is seated on a decorated horse, elephant, or convertible, and he is now the center of attention celebrating that an eligible bachelor from his family will finally start his new life. After the wedding, rituals and all of the ceremonies are complete the groom will stay with the bride and her family for a few days before moving to the husband’s home. They will then go to a prayer room with vermilion/kumkum, to show their gratitude to the lord. This is known as Satya Narayana or the final ceremony to complete their marriage.

If you decided to consummate a love marriage instead of an arranged marriage, some families are accepting of the decision, while others are set in their traditional ways. Their culture is becoming more urban with dating websites such as shaddi.com which is the number one dating website in India. It goes as far as computing what is traditionally matched, for example horoscopes, likes and dislikes. The trend is starting to change in the present day because now they have a better say in choosing their life partner, with or without consequences. All of the ceremonies and traditions will still more often than not be carried out, even though the marriage is not arranged. The families will still come together to create an alliance and a bond to respectfully show support for their loved ones. However, if the families are not supportive then some will continue with a nontraditional love marriage, and can possibly be shunned within their families and usually the community as whole.

In India their divorce rate is 1.1%. While in America our divorce rate is 45.8%. Some argue that divorce is rising because women are becoming empowered, and refuse to stay in a marriage where she may or may not be treated fairly. On the other hand, some would say it is their society as a whole breaking down because people are deviating from their cultural norms. In their culture marriage is for life and choosing divorce can cause the women to be shunned from their communities. Even though their culture has chosen arranged marriages, husband and wife respect one another, and appreciate their elders and traditions. Marriage is a celebration and treated as such.

References

- Thebigfatindianwedding.com

- Culturalindia.net

- Hindu.weddings.com

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