Weddings are sacred the world over, and regardless of faith some common threads run through them all.
As diverse as the world's cultures and customs are the acts of love and marriage across the globe. The joining of hearts and hands in a marital relationship is the most sacred ceremony in any religion, culture and nationality. This apart, there are other strands that connect the wedding traditions / rituals of one culture to another. Here we focus on three cultures and compare three similar aspects that are significant to them.
The significance of fire: Fire has been a considered a sacred element in most of the world's cultures be it an embodiment of God as in the Hindu tradition, the force of goodness in Christianity and Judaism, or the symbol of Zoroaster Himself in Parsi belief. The significance of the element is central to the marital ceremonies of the cultures enumerated below as well;
The Hindu wedding: In the Hindu wedding the primary ritual, that of the saptpadi or marital vows is centered around the fire lit in the havan, symbolising the illumination of the mind, knowledge and happiness. The vows are taken in front of the sacred element which is believed to symbolise Agni , the Radiant One. This act enunciates that the couple is invoking the sacred fire to witness their union and hence further sanctify their marriage. This also ensures that God's wisdom, truth and justice have presided over the nuptials.
The Jewish wedding: In the Jewish tradition two candles are carried to escort the bride and groom to the wedding canopy. The lighting of fire within the Jewish tradition is an act to ward off the evil eye. This belief stems from the age-old superstition that spirits and devils are fearful of fire and hence won't come near it. Another traditional explanation holds that the numerical value for the Hebrew word candle (nair) has the same value as the biblical phrase in Genesis (1:28) "Be fruitful and multiply."
The Roman Catholic wedding: In Roman Catholic weddings the significance of fire is two-fold. After the consecration of the marriage vows the bride and groom proceed to the light the Unity Candle which symbolises the union of the couple in holy matrimony. They extinguish the separate lights of the side candles and light the single large center candle. Following this is the Candlelight Blessing which is done by the priest in confirmation of this symbolism. The significance of this ritual stems from the belief of the Catholic world that the candle is the symbol of Christ, the light of the world.
The significance of seven: Some numbers are symbolically significant within various cultures. One of them is the number seven. Be it the seven days of wedding celebrations in ancient Azerbaijan or the burning of the seven broomsticks by the Maid of Honor as in Sudanese marriages to symbolise the discarding of bad habits before starting a married life, the number holds special significance.
The Hindu tradition: The Hindu marriage is consecrated with the seven steps around the fire and the seven vows that the couple takes in the presence of the agnidevata . The seven steps in the Hindu tradition symbolise the seven lives or janamas that the scriptures decree exist for a human. By taking the seven steps around the fire the couple vows to be married and faithful for seven lives thereafter. The seven marriage vows or Saptpadi taken follow the same symbolism. The steps represent representing nourishment, strength, prosperity, happiness, progeny, long life and harmony and understanding, respectively.
The Jewish tradition: In the Jewish tradition the bride and her family circle the groom seven times after they arrive at the chuppah or the wedding canopy. This custom, called Hakafot , corresponds to the seven marriage blessings or shevah berachot which are recited over a wine goblet, joining the new couple to their community. The circling of the bride denotes how central to her life her husband is and it also represents a seven-fold bond which marriage will establish between the bride and groom and their families. The number seven represents the completion of the seven-day process in which earth was created. During these seven days, the earth revolved on its axis seven times. Since marriage reenacts the creative process, the bride's encirclement symbolises the repetition of these seven earthly rotations.
The Roman Catholic Tradition: Marriage is considered as the one of the seven Sacraments of Catholicism which are believed to be channels of God's grace. Roman Catholicism believes that through the sacrament of Matrimony (marriage), spouses help each other to strive for holiness in their married life and by rearing and educating their children in the faith. The Seven Sacraments are believed to be ordained by Christ himself and effective in conferring the grace on the believer. The other six Sacraments are: Baptimism, Penance, The Eucharist, Confirmation, Anointing the sick and Holy Orders.
The bridal veil: The veil has traditionally stood for youth and virginity. In Far Eastern countries, people believed that wicked spirits were especially attracted to women. So, as protection from the Evil Eye, women always wore veils. The custom continued with the association of the veil changing from modesty and obedience, into a symbol of chastity till it became the sign of submission of women. For any reason whatsoever the veil is an important part of the marital ceremonies the world over.
The Hindu Tradition: The Hindu bride is covered with a long veil at all times of the ceremony. This is intended to keep the evil eye away. The veil is formally taken away once, the next day all the members of the groom's family are formally introduced to the bride. The veil is also significant as it is the part which is tied to the groom's shawl for the ritual of gathbandhan , tying the knot which symbolises the sacred union of the couple. In the Hindu tradition and many other traditions in India, the groom also wears a floral veil or a headdress that is tied around the grooms head by his sister after being taken around to all the members to be blessed.
The Jewish tradition: The ritual of veiling of the bride or bedeken is central to the Jewish matrimonial ceremony. Before the chuppah ceremony, the groom escorted by his father brings down the veil on face of his bride. This action recalls Rebeccah's covering her face with her veil upon seeing Isaac before marriage. The covering of the face symbolises the modesty, dignity and chastity which characterise the virtue of Jewish womanhood.
The Roman Catholic Tradition: In the Roman Catholic tradition, the father lifts the veil of his daughter before he gives away the bride. The white veil on the face of the bride is symbol of chastity and purity. In some places this veil is replaced with a wreath of flowers especially in non-traditional or outdoor setups. The tradition of the veil stems from the Greek and Roman matrimonial traditions where brides would be veiled in bright yellow or bright red (which represented fire) veils to ward off the evil eye.
It is not only the emotion of love behind marriage or the social sanction of the act but also the matrimonial traditions and rituals that unify diverse cultures. It is but natural that since the aim of the ceremony is the union of two souls the beliefs that the rituals spring from coincide. After all, there is not much left to wish the couple beyond complete happiness and God's blessings.
