Marriage is a glorified ceremony and yet a special moment for the bride and groom. It does not only bind two people together but also two families. It’s the happiest, joyous and special day for both of the families.
Talking about Hindu marriages, we can imagine big fat weddings, loads of traditional foods, enjoyment, etc. However, the wedding is glorious or nominal, still, a Hindu wedding is nothing but a festival to a household.
Indian Marriage is a colorful ceremony with loads of Indian rituals and razzle-dazzle of family and relatives. Different culture has different wedding rituals in India. Despite all, the traditional and important ritual that every bride and groom has to follow is ‘Saat Pheras’ or ‘Saptapadi’.
In this ritual, the Hindu bride and groom take 7 vows by moving around the sacred fire (Agni). A priest chants Sanskrit mantras from Hindu scriptures and pours spoonful ghee into the sacred fire during the pheras. In Indian culture, these 7 vows have religious and social significance.
Let’s know these special 7 vows:
- In the first vow, the bride and groom pray for divine blessing for nourishment, food, and healthy life. The groom takes the pledge of being responsible for the wellbeing of the family and children. And the bride agrees to take responsibility for the household and the groom’s family.
- On the second vow, they both pledge to the God of their unity, mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. The bride commits to be the strength of him while he provides security to the family.
- In the third phera, they both pray for prosperity and success in their life. The couple commits and ensures each other to remain loyal for the entire life.
- The couple together pledges to stand by together throughout thick and thin and respect and take care of both of their families in the fourth phera.
- As a fifth vow, they both pray for healthy and noble children in their future. They promise to be responsible for their children’s upbringing.
- In the sixth phera, the couple seeks the blessings of almighty to have a healthy and disease-free life.
- In the seventh and last phera, they both promise to have a long-lasting relationship and friendship, a life enriched with love, compassion, understanding, and loyalty.
Thus, the wedding gets over, and both accept each other as their life mates for the rest of their life by accepting all the vows.
Feature Image Credit: Photo by Khadija Yousaf on Unsplash. (free for commercial use)