PENTECOSTAL MARRIAGE/CHRISTIAN MARRIAGES

"The two shall become one flesh".Christian wedding like most of the weddings of the world have their root in its religion. In fact it is regarded as a form of worship. Christians believe that the God has intended marriage to be an instrument to bring about the welfare and happiness of mankind. Christian life is living out one's baptism. A Christian disciple after being baptized dies and rises with Christ. Marriage is thought to be a part of living out one's baptism for many Christians.An ideal Christian marriage has the "Christ as the head, the husband, of each partner in the marriage individually; both man and woman, as part of the church, are the bride of ChristIt implies more than the oneness of bodies, it indicates oneness of souls.Christian wedding usually takes place in a Church, before a priest. asian bride,bride and groom,india matrimonial,kerala matrimonial,marriage,matrimonial sites,matrimonials,muslim matrimonial,punjabi matrimonial.,shaadi,tamil matrimonial,
telugu matrimonial A Christian bride traditionally wears a white gown. Her head is covered with a white veil and a bunch of white flowers crown her. Both the groom and the bride accept each other in front of the priest.Bridal Wear White gown is the most common dress worn by Christian brides worldwide. It came into being because people thought that it represented purity, affluence and virginity. She also wears a veil of net and carries a bouquet of flowers in her arm.Saree is also used by brides in many places.n the state of Kerala where the quality of ornaments worn by a bride decides the social status and honour of her family, pentecost weddings stand aloof with simplicity. After extensive background checks, including financial and social standing, and several meetings later, between the parents of bride and groom, the actual players get to encounter each other. Once things are endorsed, they have to notify their individual churches to procure sanction. Once the sanction is granted, they have to undergo a marriage preparation course conducted by the church. After that, at a day of their convenience (except on Fridays), they have to present themselves before the church officer for "manasammatham" (engagement), accompanied by friends and relatives. A prayer will be held before engagement ceremony and afterwards the vicar gives the blessing. Rings can be swapped after this, but it is not there in the general itinerary. Two male persons from both the parties have to stand witness for this ceremony. This will be recorded in the church register. After this for the next 3 successive Sundays, while the church is in congregation, this engagement will be announced. This is to inform others and to give them a chance to file objection, if they have any. Alternatively this information will be displayed at the church notice board. If some objections are noticed, church will conduct an inquiry regarding this and proper actions would be taken. There is no bar on breaking the engagement.The parents of the bride and groom, after mutual consultations, fix a date for the marriage. Normally the wedding is held at the diocese of the groom.On the appointed day, both the bride and groom, along with their relatives and friends, will reach the marriage place before the appointed time. At the given time, both the groom and bride will enter the church, escorted by relatives and friends, and proceed towards the altar. Some of the customs of traditional kerala wedding, "thalikettu" the process of tying the sacred thread around bride's neck, giving "mantrakodi" the wedding sari, are incorporated into the Christian wedding. As soon as the vicar enters the altar, the process of marriage (divyabali) begins. Reciting of those portions of bible which are relevant to the marriage function will be done by the vicar as well as the congregation, accompanied by music.

MUSLIM MARRIAGES

The Muslims have some special rituals and customs which they follow on the occasion of a wedding.The Muslims are one of the best people when it comes to showing their love.They are very trustworthy and this has lead to the happy living between Hindus and Muslims in India inspite of communal riots.This is one of the facts which you would realize when you visit any of the muslim weddings. In the earlier days, both the bride's and the bridegroom's places were traditionally used to hold the different muslim wedding customs. But in the modern day India many of the ceremonies are held in the banquet halls.The Muslim girls dress will be pardha,dress covering whole body or a veil “lachha” with a veil covering head.There will be dance ceremonies on and before the days of marriage.Muslim brides usually get married at an earlier age and so most of them will be arranged marriages.

KERALA MARRIAGES

Kettukalyanam was the practice among Nayars (also Kshatriyas, Ezhavas, Arayas, pulayas and even certain tribes to conduct ritual marriages of their daughters usually several girls of different age groups belonging to a tarawad had their marriage conducted in the same place and on the same occasion. The adult males married the girls. Some times one adult married several women.In some cases, the bridegroom belonged to the Kshatriyas or Aryapattan or Elayatu communities lower status sub-castes among Nambootiris.He also acted as the priest.He tied a sacramental thread around the neck of the bride. Then the brother of the child bride carried her on his shoulders to a decorated pandal, a thatched shed improvised for the occasion in the front courtyard of the house.The bride would be in her wedding shawl (mandrakodi) which covers her face as a veil. After the wedding is performed by tying the thread, the priest - bridegroom washes his hands, an act which symbolises his severance of all relationship with the girl whom he had just initiated into wedlock. The real marriage of the girl has yet to take place after she attains puberty. But for a girl to attain puberty before she had her Kettukalyanam among Nayars, Kshatriyas, Tiyyas is very expensive, elaborate and festive than the real marriage ceremonies. The ritual marriage ceremony would be concluded by sumptuous feasts for four days consecutively in which friends and relatives would participate. On the fourth day, the women of the village took a ceremonial bath along with the girl and returned to her home to make merry and rejoice with dances and songs.FOR HINDU, Marriage is the attempted union of two different families rather than the union of two individuals. Social status, financial security and a host of other things are take into consideration while searching for prospective matches. It is assumed that when the horoscopes foretell compatibility, things will progress smoothly. The young people get a chance to see each other. But, in most cases, what makes the marriage work is the trouble shooting done by the parents. After the prospective horoscopes are matched "nakshatra porutham" matching of the stars by the astrologer, an auspicious day and time is fixed.

TAMIL MARRIAGES

The Tamil community is fairly large and Tamil weddings are usually well attended by close as well as distant relatives. The Tamilians believe in simple living, hence their weddings are not necessarily extravagant affairs. A special marriage hall - 'Kalyana Mandapams' is booked for the occasion and decorated with flowers and lights. The date for the wedding is fixed after consulting the Hindu calendar. Tuesdays and Saturdays are not auspicious for weddings and so are Rahu Kaalam and Yama Kandam.So the wedding time is fixed accordingly. The bride's birth star is used to fix the most appropriate date and time for the wedding. Once the match is finalized, a private function is held to draw up the marriage agreement. On an auspicious day priests from either side meet in the groom's house and the two parties exchange the marriage agreement. The agreement is placed on a plate along with bananas, coconuts and betel leaf. The terms of the marriage too are announced by the parties and accepted. Usually the girl is presented with a silk sari by the groom's family and the groom receives clothes or cash in lieu.'Rangoli' designs can be seen at the entrance of the marriage halls, which match the mood of the occasion and beckon a hearty welcome to the well-wishers who arrive for the wedding. Flowers are in abundance at a Hindu wedding. They are both present in the form of decorations around the hall and for the bride, and also used in the wedding prayers as offerings to God. With the parents of the bride, the priest performs Ganesh Pooja. The bride is asked to come out and sit in the venue. The groom's party gives the bride a new sari. Then the bride is seated and a tilak of chandan and kumkum is applied to her forehead. The pallav of her sari is filled with fruits, paan supari, turmeric, kumkum, coconut and flowers and tied around her waist. An aarti is performed for her.

PUNJABI MARRIAGES

Punjab is perhaps the most colorful state of India. Punjabis are generally known as large-hearted cheerful people and they live their life joyously and vigorously. People out here believe in enjoying every single moment of their lives. No doubt their marriage ceremonies are one big carnival gaieties and jubilation. The culture of Punjab is very rich and the people are so attached to their land that they have still preserved their tradition in it's very original form.They follow a number of rituals and perform music and dance programmes on every evening till the wedding day. The wedding dress for the girl includes a Sharara, which is a long following skirt and blouse and a dupatta to cover the head.The groom wears a Sherwani or a traditional salwar and kurta. But there are no hard and fast rules here.The time for the "pherey" or the actual wedding comes late in the evening. On this occasion, the boy and the girl are made to sit in front of the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhs' holy book. The brief ceremony of the circumambulation of the Granth Sahib ends with the reading of the ardas, a rousing salutation to the ten gurus of the Sikhs. Bride's father puts a ring on the boy's finger and then he gives his daughter to the boy. This ritual is known as the Kanyadaan. It is after the kanyadaan that the pheras begin. The groom's sister ties the bride's sari to the boy's turban.The bride's chunni has at one of its end a small knot containing meva,chuara,mishri,badam and silver coin.At the time of ongoing marriage the boy's sister-in-laws hide away his shoes in a ritual called Juta Chepai.They ask the boy for money in exchange for the shoes.