EXTROVERT WINTER 2017

Love Makes The
World Go Round
Many of
today’s
popular
wedding
ceremony and
reception
traditions can be
traced to ancient
Egyptian and
European customs. The
first recorded evidence
of marriage ceremonies uniting one
woman and one man dates from about
2350 B.C., in Mesopotamia. Over the
next several hundred years, marriage
evolved into a widespread institution
embraced by the ancient Hebrews,
Greeks, and Romans.
According to various sources,
some of the early marriages
were literally carried out by
the Groom and his “
Bridesmen” (or
“Bridesknights”) who would
kidnap a woman (the origin of
“carrying a Bride over the threshold”)
from another tribe! The Groom and
his fellow conspirators would then
fight off the female’s family of
tribesmen with swords held in
their right hand while the Groom
would hold the captured Bride
in his left hand, which is the origin
of why a Bride stands on the
left side of the Groom at a
wedding.
The word, “Wedding” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “wedd” that meant a man
would marry a woman and pay the Bride’s father. Farah Jamal finds out more about
weddings around the world.
After a successful
capture,
another
politically
correct
practice was for the Groom to hide his
new Bride for one month for mating
purposes. It is said that the word
“honeymoon” was created to describe
this one month cycle of the moon when
they would drink mead, which was a
honey sweetened alcoholic brew that
affects both sobriety and the acidity of
the womb, thus increasing fertility.
The general picture painted in our minds
of weddings is a bride in a white dress
and a groom in a suit, however this is just
one way that two people can get married,
there are countless other weddings with
their own cultural traditions.
Indian weddings are traditionally
multi-day affairs, and involve many
intricate ceremonies, such as the painting
of the hands and feet of the bride called
a mehndi. She will also be adorned with
many jewels. Garlands are presented to
guests of honor instead of corsages, and
lots of flower or rose petals are thrown
for good luck.
The wedding is typically divided into
three parts: pre-wedding, main and
post-wedding. The pre-wedding and
wedding day ceremony consist of the
Baraat (the groom’s wedding
procession), the Varmala, the Satphere
and the Vidaai. The pre-wedding
includes all the preparations and a party
the night before where each side of the
family can meet each other and dance
and have fun. A Pandit, who has
selected the day of the wedding based
on the bride and groom’s horoscopes,
conducts a prayer with family members
to provide the couple with a happily
married life.
The wedding altar (mandapa) is built the
day of and the groom is welcomed by his
future mother in law where his feet are
then washed and he is offered milk and
honey. His sister in law will attempt to
steal his shoes and if she succeeds, the
groom must pay her to get them back. An
Indian groom typically wears a turban
with a veil of flowers to protect him from
evil spirits. North Indian culture usually
has the groom enter the wedding on a
decorated horse accompanied by his
family and friends.
In Indian weddings, the Mangala Sutra
is tied around the bride’s neck instead of
exchanging rings. The mangala sutra is a
cord with two gold pendants and is tied
in three knots by the groom to
symbolize the bonding of the two souls
for 100 years.
On the second day, Lawan Phere legalises
the couple’s union as they walk around
the sacred fire four times, touching a
stone on each turn. This represents the
ability to overcome the obstacles you will
face ahead.
In Hindu culture, the belief is that it is
good luck for it to rain on your wedding
day.
Mangal pheras. This is when the bride
and groom circle the sacred fire four
times to represent dharma, artha, kama,
and moksha and they run to their seats—
whoever gets there first will rule the
household.
A Bride standing on the left side has a
different belief in Indian culture.
According to Hindu religious texts,
Brahma created man from the right
shoulder and woman from his left
shoulder. A woman is referred to as
Vamangi or one who is on the left side.
Throughout the wedding ceremony
the bride sits on the right side of the
groom. That is the place for strangers and
acquaintances. Only after