Guyana & Trinidad….The Hindu Wedding of Mr. & Mrs. Rampersadsingh

This is our Uncle “Lenny”……with Lincoln & Diana…..on the wedding day

What a wonderful wedding weekend in beautiful Florida, for my cousin “Diana Persaud”. It was an event that she has been planning for a very long time. Love comes when we don’t go looking for it or expect it. For Diana, it came out of the blue and her days of wondering what all young girls think of “Whom will I marry, and who will become my husband” are finally over! I guess the God’s finally said walk this way and make a right into the mechanic shop, and the prince of your dreams  will be standing there ready to work on your car. It always seems that the road we travel each day is the same old routine but sometimes an unexpected turn of events can change our lives forever. I guess for each of us we must know that destiny will bring us to where we have to go and the people that are put in our path  in our journey here on Earth are part of what makes up  our individual stories.

We would like to welcome “Lincoln” who is from Trinidad and his parents, siblings and extended family into our family. We wish you the very best on taking care of “Diana”(Guyana Girl) for the rest of her life. I am sure both of you will be very happy and your marriage will bring many blessings into your happy home in Orlando. We also love that the puppies, Buttercup & Maggie have found each other so they will never again be lonely. What a great story you have and I am happy to be sharing this with all of my readers that are interested in knowing what a Hindu(Guyanese) wedding is all about. It is a great time for family & friends to come together to celebrate one of the most important days of an Indian woman’s life. As Guyanese women know we play the roles of both “Hercules & Xena”, but have many hands like Mother Lakshmi,  we must be strong in order to maintain a household and a family. We are raised to take care of our husband & children as well as everyone else around us. It is a great joy to be able to plan your daughter or your son’s wedding day. In Indian traditions it is a 3 to 4 day event and people come from all over the country to take part in the celebration that will bring 2 people and 2 families together.

Well this weekend, Diana celebrated her 3 day wedding plus her birthday which was on Sunday (She is a Leap year baby) so it was not her real birthday, but her wedding was as real as it will ever be and she is very happy to have found the person she will share her life and dreams with. So here are some photos from a very memorable moment and we wish you “Diana & Lincoln” absolute happiness and joy as the two of you begin life as husband and wife and most importantly as a family.

For those of you that don’t understand the Indian rituals, I will explain some of the traditions. In the photo you will see “Diana” the day before the wedding where she is sitting and the women in the family are rubbing her skin with a special cleansing paste made of Turmeric spice, sandalwood paste and oils. This is anointed on her skin by each women in the family to bless and cleanse her before her marriage. I will give you the wedding rituals of the bride as you see the photos and understand our weddings are very unique and beautiful and very colorful to the eye.

This is my mom & dad…Maureen & Sonny…..and below is my Grandfather.

 

 

The Hindu marriage ceremony consists essentially of seven steps with seven vows taken in front of the (Agni) the fire. The fire is very sacred in the Hindu religion as it is considered to be the purifier. The flame of Agni represents the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance. The Hindu marriage ceremony is  conducted under a decorated canopy structure , called a Mandap. The bride’s Sari is red, since red is auspicious and symbolizes good luck.

Swagat is the welcoming  of the wedding party by the brides family.

Tilak (red powder dot) is applied by the brides family to the groom as a sign of honor and to welcome him.

Jay amala is the welcoming of the bride and groom by placing garlands on one another made of  fresh flowers under the mandap.

Ganesh pooja-the priest chants a prayer to Lord Ganesh the lord of affluence and obstacle removal , requesting him to remove any obstacles which may arise during the wedding ceremony. This is the first ritual in all of the Hindu ceremonies.

Kanyadaan is the giving away of the bride by the brides parents.

Hast Milap-The parents of the bride join the couple’s hands as the couple declare their heart’s have been united, and they vow to remain entirely devoted to each other. The groom assures the bride that she will always be respected and honored in their home.

Mangal Fera-The couple offers prayers to the fire, which represents God serving as the couple’s witness as the two are joined in marriage. Prayers are offered by placing ghee, rice and flowers in the flame. The couple then walk around the flame four times while holding hands.

Satapadi- A pink cloth is draped over the bride’s shoulders and tied to the groom’s shoulder cloth. Then the couple walk seven steps together, reciting vows which express:

Let us take the first step vowing to keep a pure household; avoiding things that will bring injury to our health.

Let us take the second step vowing to develop mental, physical, and spiritual powers.

Let us take the third step with the aim of increasing our wealth by righteous means.

Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust.

Let us take the fifth step to pray for virtuous, intelligent and courageous and loving children.

The sixth step is to attain self restraint and longevity.

The final seventh step is to vow that we will always remain true companions and life long partners.

Jalsinchanam-The priest sprinkles holy water onto the couple while praying and blessing them.

Rudaya Sparsha-The bride and groom touch each others forehead or heart symbolizing mutual love and affection.

Sindura Danam-The groom places vermilion (red powder) on the bride’s forehead and into her hair for long life for both. He also places the mangal sutra (sacred necklace) around the bride’s neck.

Prasad Khilana-The wedding is now celebrated. The bride’s mother brings some sweets for the couple. The bride and groom feed each other the sweets and then to the families.

Ashirvada (blessings) The religious part of the ceremony is the blessing of the priest. The relatives and friends join in to throw the rice and flowers on the couple and express good wishes. The newlyweds seek Ashirvada, the blessings from the priest and then the parents and elders, by bowing down and touching their feet.

The traditional Hindu wedding is a deeply meaningful and symbolic combination of rituals and traditions. It is a ceremony that is about 4000 years old. Each phase of the ceremony has a symbolic, philosophical and spiritual meaning. The ceremony not only joins the souls of the bride and groom but also creates a strong tie between two families. In Sanskrit the word for marriage is “Vivaha”, which means “What supports or carries”. The Vivaha ceremony is therefore a sacred ceremony meant to create a union that supports and carries a man and a woman throughout their married life in the pursuit of righteousness.