Describe a Hindu marriage service.

The next step is songs of blessing. The bride and groom stand facing one another. The priest and an assistance holds a silk clothe between the couple to form a curtain between them. Then the couple are showered with rice grains.

After this has happened the daughter is given in marriage by her father to the groom, who puts his daughter's right hand into the hand of her husbands. The father asks the groom to promise to fulfil his moral duty (dharma) the earning of money (artha) and the enjoyments of good things in life (kama).

In the next part of the marriage there is a symbolic exchange of gifts. The groom's mother gives an auspicious necklace (Mangala sootra) to the bride.

Here the bride offers sacrifice of food (poured into her hands by her brother or someone acting in her brother's behalf) to the Gods for their blessings. "This grain I spill. May it bring to me well-being and unite you to me. May Agni hear us?" He then causes the bride to spill the grain into the fire, saying:" This woman scattering grain into the fire, prays: Blessings on my husband. May my relatives be prosperous? 'Svaha!' "

The bridegroom holds the bride by the hand and both walk three times around the nuptial fire.

Both offer oblations and recite appropriate Vedic hymns to Gods for prosperity, good fortune, and conjugal fidelity.

They touch each others heart and pray for union of their hearts and minds

While walking around the bridegroom repeats:

"First now they bring to you in bridal procession this Surya, guiding her steps in circular motion. Return her now, O Agni, to her husband as rightful wife, with hope of children to come."

Then the entire rite is repeated twice more, beginning with the rite of the fried grain.

At the fourth round she pours into the re all the fried grain from the mouth of the winnowing basket saying: "To Bhaga svaha!"

At the end of each round of nuptial fire, both the bride and the groom step on a stone and offer a prayer for their mutual love to be firm and steadfast like the stone.

The bridegroom says the words while the bride stands up:

"Come, beautiful one."

And lets her put the tip of the right foot on the stone, saying:

"Come, step on the stone; be strong like a stone. Resist the enemies; overcome those who attack you."

This is the most important rite of the entire ceremony. Here the bride and the bridegroom take seven steps together around the nuptial fire (Agni) and make the following seven promises to each other:

As per the Vedic rituals, the bridegroom sings the following:

With God as our guide, let us take:

The first step to nourish each other

The second step to grow together in strength

The third step to preserve our wealth

The fourth step to share our joys and sorrows

The fifth step to care for our children

The sixth step to be together forever

The seventh step to remain lifelong friends,

The perfect halves to make a perfect whole.

After the seventh step he makes her remain where she is and says:

"With seven steps we become friends. Let me reach your friendship. Let me not be severed from your friendship. Let your friendship not be severed from me."

The Spatapadi ceremony ceremony concludes with a prayer that the union is indissoluble. At the end of this ceremony, the bridegroom and bride become husband and wife.

In some communities such as Gujarati, instead of seven, only four steps, signifying Artha, Dharma, Kama and Moksha are taken.

Once this has happened it is the viewing of the pole star. If the wedding is in the daytime, the couple will look at the sun (surya darshan) in order to be blessed, and if it is at night they will look in the direction of the pole star. The wife resolves to be unshaken and steadfast like the star. (the pole star is dhruva, constant. May I be dhruva in my husband's family?)

The blessings. The couple are blessed by the elders and the priest for a long and prosperous married life. This will be followed by a scruptuous feast to impress all the guests. When the bride enters the house of her husband's family for the first time, she has one more ceremony to perform. She must kick over metal pot containing wheat with her right foot so that the grain, split over the threshold, signifies she will bring prosperity.