he
saw – the Hindu devout shows his lack of preference
between the Lords by making his preliminary prayers
to Lords, Ganesha). Seven married ladies (portraying
7 forms of God for each day of the week) use red
powder to make a Ganesh sign (clockwise swastika)
on a pot of misri (crystalline sugar) asking him
to bless the couple and make the ceremony run well.
The ladies also sew designs on a white piece of
cloth to ward of any Nazar (evil eyes cast) that
may come upon the happy occasion. This cloth is
worn by the couple on the wedding day. (Note some
couples leave the preparation of the white cloth
until the Ghari puja.)
A puja is done by the couple and
their parents welcoming God in different forms
and asking for his blessings. They pray to Lord
Ganesha, Varun Devta, Laxmi & Narayan, the
Gods on governing the 9 planets, and Om (i.e.
Triumverate Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).
Garlands are exchanged by the
couple in order to welcome each other into their
lives. This part of the ceremony is known as the
Varmala.
As gold lasts for ever, rings
made of gold are exchanged by the couple in order
to represent a long married life. It is believed
that the fourth finger of the hand has a vein
leading directly to the heart. Hence the groom
wears the ring on the fourth finger of his right
hand and the bride wears hers on the fourth finger
of her left hand in order to form a complete heart.
The groom’s family places
a basket of fruits, clothes, cosmetics or ornaments
on the girl’s lap (in her jholi) to represent
their acceptance into her family and bestowing
her with happiness and prosperity.
The groom’s family gives
a verbal promise of marriage and feeds misri (crystalline
sugar) to the girls family to confirm the engagement.
The eating of sweet is considered auspicious by
the Hindus and thus is eaten on all happy occasions.
