Wedding ceremony as per Hindu culture
A Hindu wedding or Vivaha or kalyanam and the wedding ceremony are called as Vivaah Sarnskar in North India and Kalyanam or Madhuve in South India. Hindus attach great deal of importance to marriages. The ceremonies are very colorful and the celebrations may extend for several days.
The bride’s and groom’s home entrance, doors, wall, floor are sometimes decorated with colors, balloons and other decorations. The rituals and process in a Hindu wedding vary widely. There are few key rituals common in North Indian Weddings such as Kanyadaan, Panigrahana and Saptapadi, which are respectively giving away of daughter by the father.
The North Indian Hindu wedding ceremony at its core is essentially a vedic yajna ritual. The primary witness of a Hindu marriage is the fire deity Agni, where as in South Indian tradition reciting holy chant with or without sacred fire is very common form of ritual in the presence of family and friends.
The ceremony is traditionally conducted entirely or at least partially in Sanskrit, considered by Hindus the language of holy ceremonies. The local language of the bride and groom is also used. The pre-wedding and post wedding rituals and celebrations vary by region, preferences or the resources of the groom, bride and their families. The wedding marks the start of the householder stage of life for the new couple.