Christianity is the third largest religion in India. Roman catholics are spread across india forming the major part of christian population in India. Wedding ceremony among roman catholics has some local flavors when it comes to India. Normally the wedding is conducted in dominant local language.
First of the marriage ceremony is to find a suitable match for the bride or groom. In India predominantly the marriages are arranged by parents. In the western countries it is significantly different where the bride and groom become friends and know each other and commit to marriage. Online matrimonial websites are prevalent in helping the parents to find out the suitable match especially in India. Once a suitable match is identified, the groom and his family visit the bride's house. The bride and the groom exchange engagement rings blessed by the parish priest.
The Roman Catholic wedding is rich in tradition and is normally conducted in church. Church is seen as most suitable place to announce and conduct the marriage, as it is the place where the whole community come together. The wedding usually takes place in the church of the bride's family. There is no uniform set of rules for Catholic marriage preparation, each couple will need to rely on information received from their parish priest who can then explain the requirements.The Catholic Groom is required to promise to continue observing the Catholic faith and to do their best to raise children as Catholics.
Bridal shower arranged by the bride and bachelor party arranged by the groom are the celebrations that happen at the eve of the wedding day to enjoy their last night of their bachelor life. It was only predominant in western countries in the early days, but now a days it has become custom in the Indian context as well.
The processional is the most well known part of the Christian wedding. The processional introduces the bride and groom to the wedding ceremony.The first part of the actual processional includes the important family members of those who are to be married. The processional often begin with the priest meeting the bride and groom at the entrance to wish them and then lead them in to the church.
Once the bride and groom are in to the church the priest greets and commences the opening prayer. Most Christian weddings will have a prayer directly following the processional. This prayer will change based on the wishes of the bride and groom, and the priest that is performing the ceremony. Those who are uncomfortable with prayer from other religions should know that the prayer will be said out loud to the entire group. This is popular in the Indian context especially if the relatives are predominantly from different community.
The most important part of the ceremony is the promise and ring exchange. Priest guides couple through this ceremony. Some couples will choose to say their own vows during this time instead of replacing the usual wedding vows.The priest will ask the bride and groom separately whether they are happy to join in the new life. The wedding will happen only if both says Yes. Priest will bless and request the couple to exchange the rings. At this point the priest pronounces the bride and groom as man and wife.The mass ends with sigining of the register, which serves as a valid document of marriage.
In most of the churches in western countries, strict discipline is followed in playing music. Many Catholic churches do not allow the classic wedding march or famous recession music as they are considered as non religious musics. In Indian context it is more relaxed, the churches do allow to play music predominantly. Churches permit floral decorations for a wedding with the understanding that the flowers remain in the church. The Catholic Church feels that flowers that are part of the wedding scene take on the spirit of the sacrament and should remain in the church for others to share.
A reception is held to celebrate the wedding. Friends and relatives invited and a grand feast is served to every one. The newly wed couple cut a cake and feed each other to celebrate their happiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment