All You Need To Know About Christian Wedding Rituals in India
The Christian wedding ceremony can be associated with the word PURITY. It is held in a church. The Roman Catholic Church conducts a holy mass during which the wedding takes place as per the rituals followed by the Roman Catholic Church. The Bride and the Groom exchange wedding rings and vow in the presence of near and dear ones. In the case of a Roman Catholic Saraswat Brahmin wedding, the Konkani custom of tying the piduk (mangalsutra) takes place during the wedding rituals.
When one thinks of an Indian-Christian wedding, they imagine a perfectly white gown, walking down the aisle in the church, flowers all around and lots of happiness.
Most Important Christian Wedding Rituals Before Wedding :
Attending a Preparatory Course:
The bride and the groom to be attend a Marriage Preparatory Course. The length of the course varies between 1 to 3 days which can be suitably chosen by the bride and the groom. A form is filled by them declaring their personal details. They take an oath on the Holy Bible that they are not withholding any information. Also they are expected to be aware of the duties and responsibilities of a Christian marriage. Their Baptism certificates are to be produced. If it’s an inter-religion marriage, only the Christian partner produces the Baptism certificate.
This refers to an all-girls only party, which is informal in nature. This party is hosted by the female friends of the bride. This ceremony is full of a lot of joy and excitement. The friends of the bride play many games and enjoy each and every moment of the remaining spinster ship of the bride. Also gifts are given to the bride by her friends.
This luncheon party hosted for the bridesmaids by the bride is a gesture to appreciate all her bridesmaids for their loving support. A pink cake, in which a thimble is hidden inside, is served to the guests. They say that the girl who gets the slice of cake with the thimble hidden inside is the one to get married next. The bride also offers gifts to her friends.
This refers to an all men party hosted by the groom for his best man and friends on the eve of his wedding. The groom along with his friends enjoy his last night as a bachelor. A toast is raised as a custom before they start drinking in plenty. Out of excitement, the passionate friends of the groom sometimes break the glasses after the toast is raised to ensure that the same glasses are not used for a purpose which is less valued.
Sometimes, the bridesmaid’s luncheon party and the bachelor’s party are foregone and a combined party for all friends is thrown by the bride and the groom.
This ceremony is usually hosted by the groom’s family if the expenses of the wedding reception are to be borne by the bride’s family. The intention here is to get together all the family members of the bride and the groom before the wedding takes place. This ceremony can be a small casual get together at home or it can be a sophisticated dinner held at an elite classy restaurant.
Do you know all the Traditions Rituals in Christian Wedding Ceremony?:
Welcoming the Bride :
On the wedding day, a pick- up car is sent by the groom to the bride’s house. The groom waits for the bride outside the church which is the venue of the marriage. On arrival, the bride is welcomed by the groom’s best man by kissing her on either cheek. The best man hands a posy of beautiful flower to the bride.
The couple to get married walks down the aisle slowly and the wedding procession follows. The priest of the church starts the wedding ceremony. The bride, groom and the guests are welcomed by the priest in the church and the couple is blessed by him. Warm wishes are showered on them. The holy mass for the wedding begins with hymns and selected related sections from the holy Bible are read.
The priest conducting the marriage delivers the Homily. This is a motivating lecture which highlights the inviolability and purity of marriage. The priest delivering the lecture makes it interesting by quoting entertaining anecdotes.
This ritual is a formal procedure during which the priest asks few questions. The couple is expected to answer them candidly. The priest also asks them if they are marrying each other out of their own free will. The couple is asked if they will respect and love each other as husband and wife for the rest of their lives and fulfill all the duties of a sacred marriage according the Law of Christ and the Church. The couple is expected to answer affirmatively to these questions.
The couple is conducted by the priest through this sacrament. He tells the couple to declare their consent to the marriage by joining their right hands. Then the couple takes the wedding vows. In person, they promise to each other to be true in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. They promise to love and respect each other forever for the rest of their lives. Then the couple is joined together in marriage by the priest and is blessed saying, “May the Lord in His Goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with His blessings. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”
The wedding rings are blessed by the priest. They say that this is done so that the couple wearing those wedding have deep trust in each other. The bride and the groom exchange wedding rings with an assurance of total loyalty, commitment and love to each other.
The priest requests the parishioners to observe silence for few minutes and confess any personal inadequacies, wrongdoings and failures to the God.
During this ceremony, selected passages from the Holy Bible are read by the couple and their close relatives after coming up to the podium.
The priest of the church carries out a prayer to bless the couple. He invites the Lord to bless the couple so that their love grows and matures. He offers prayers to the souls of the departed relatives of the couple. He also prays for the friends and relatives.
The couple offers The Bible, a miniature house modeled out of thermocol, flowers and candles. There is a significance attached to each offering. The flowers represent the magnificence and aroma of the creation of God and the priest asks the God Almighty to bless the couple so that they extend this magnificence and aroma everywhere. After the offerings are made, the priest provides sanctified bread and wine to the couple which represents the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Wine is only served on special occasions. The choir of the church sings holy hymn.
The parishioners receive holy communion. The communion over, the parishioners jointly recite the Our Father, a Biblical prayer.
The priest conducting the marriage prays for the couple. A thanksgiving prayer is offered to the God by the bride and the Groom. The ceremony comes to an end by a final blessing to the couple by the priest and the congregation. The church register which serves as a legal document of marriage is signed by the priest and the couple. A copy of the same is sent to the Registrar of Marriages.
The bride and the groom walk down the aisle and step out of the church followed by the congregation. The recessional hymn is played by the organist as they depart.
The Most Important Christian Wedding Rituals After Wedding :
The Reception
The wedding reception usually has a live band and a dance floor that keeps the guest feet tapping all the while. On arrival at the venue the newly wed couple is welcomed by all. The couple cuts the wedding cake and feed each other a bite of the first slice. Then the cake is served to the guests. A toast is proposed in honour of the newly weds by the toastmaster. Then the couple has their ‘first dance’ together. The bride’s parents join them followed by the best man, the bridesmaid and the parents of the groom. They are then followed by the guests. This is followed by the dinner after which the couple leaves the reception. While departing, the bride throws her posy of flowers behind and the girl who catches it gets married next as per accepted belief.