India Wedding - Explore through this article the various rituals and traditions of an Indian Christian Wedding ceremony.
Christian Wedding Ceremony
Christians are an important part of Indian culture. Though the population of the Christians in the country is less as compared to that of Hindus and Muslims, the Christian religion has a deep impact on the contemporary Indian Culture. Christian culture is very sober and elegant especially a Christian Wedding despite being simple and sober is a visual delight. Like other Indian marriages, the Indian Christian Wedding is also an elaborative affair spread over pre wedding, wedding and post wedding rituals. Read on if you are keen on the detailed description of tradition and ritual of an Indian Christian Wedding ceremony.
Pre-Wedding Ritual
Bridal Shower
Among the main pre wedding rituals there are functions like bridal shower, which is an informal hen party hosted by the bride's female friends. It is mainly
a female get together to celebrate the occasion. It is a fun filled function where games are played, they sing and dance the whole night. The friends and relatives shower gifts upon the bride. The bride serves a pink cake with a thimble hidden inside. According to tradition, the girl who gets the slice of cake with the thimble in it will be the next to marry.
Stag Party
Just like the bridal shower, which is an all girl's party a bachelor's party is also celebrated by the groom and his male friends. It is called a stag party hosted by the groom on the eve of his wedding or a couple of days earlier. Usually this is a wild party, and the groom is expected to enjoy his last night as a bachelor. It is customary to raise a toast before the drinking begins in earnest. It is mostly celebrated to have fun and enjoyment with his close fiends.
Welcoming the bride
Welcoming the bride is done on the day of the wedding; when the groom sends a car to pick up the bride and waits for her outside the church. When the bride arrives, the Best Man welcomes her with a kiss on either cheek and hands her a bouquet of flowers.
Wedding Ritual
Once the bride reaches the church and is received by the best men, the bride and the groom walk slowly and gracefully with the wedding procession in tow till they reach where the priest stands for the wedding mass. The priest then welcomes them and offers his best wishes. The wedding mass begins with hymns and selected readings from the Bible. The priest then delivers the homily, with an emphasis on the sanctity of marriage. The next ritual is the blessing and the exchange of the wedding rings. The ceremony comes to an end with the final blessing of the priest. The guests, towards the end, shower their blessings on the newly wedded couple. The last formality is the couple then signs the register and walk down aisle, arm in arm.
Post-Wedding Ritual
In the post wedding rituals like weddings the rest of the Indian marriages, Christian weddings are also followed by reception party, which is a grand affair where the newly-weds enter the venue and are welcomed by all with a shower of confetti. They cut the wedding cake and feed each a bite of the first slice. The Toastmaster proposes a toast in honor of the couple. The reception is mostly celebrated with dance and dinner party. In many function a live band performs and everybody dances to the tune of the band.
