Homa or Havan is a sacrificial fire ritual that sages and tantric practices for ages. It occupies a place in Hindu customs and traditions. Havan is a must-do ritual in Hindu weddings and prayers. The practice has some logical significance that people are not aware of.

Hindus consider Fire (Agni) as sacred. It symbolizes purity. Havan derived from the Sanskrit word HU means ‘to consume’. Havan consumes the old and paves the way for a new creation.

Havan must perform on a square-shaped Kund, made out of copper, brass, or brick.

In Hindu weddings, the bride and the groom take vowes by keeping the Agni (fire) as a witness. They both take seven steps (‘Sapta Padhi’ or Saath Fera) all around the Vivah Havan. The priest chatters holy hymns and utters Swaha at the end of the hymns. This means ‘sacrificing the ego into the fire’.

Some religious offerings are made into the fire, like ghee, ladle, beal leaves, coconut, etc. Ghee symbolizes the ‘burning of the ego’, purify the heart by purifying the divine fumes. The holy water of Ganges (Gangajal) spread around the homa kund to purify the surroundings.

You must perform homa while praying to defeat your ego and purify the home atmosphere.

Feature Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:(A)_Hindu_community_pooja_in_progress,_Atham_Havan_%26_Yagna,_Walsall,_England_2010.jpg
Pramal / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)