SIMRAN: In Hinduism marriage is a duty and weddings are very special occasions. They also tend to be very big. When I was younger I went to my auntie's wedding in India. It was a huge celebration. Hindu weddings are attended by so many people because it's not just two families coming together but it's two whole communities coming together and that's why there were so many people at my auntie's wedding. A Hindu wedding takes lots of planning because there are so many guests. Nikki and Hamil are busy getting ready for their big day. I'm really excited about the whole family getting together everybody dancing away food…
I'm happy to bring a wife into this family. I mean to know I'll spend the rest of my life with the woman I love you can't beat that.
SIMRAN: Before a Hindu wedding the bride celebrates with her friends and family. This is called a mehndi party. At the party the bride and her guests have patterns drawn on their hands and feet using a special dye called henna. I had my henna done. It did tickle at first and I got to choose my own pattern. I liked the henna that was done on me. Once the henna is applied it takes a few hours for the colour to develop. So you have to be patient.
NIKKI: The darker the colour it is it shows that the husband loves you more.
SIMRAN: The wedding often takes place on the canopy called a mandap. Traditionally mandaps were decorated with leaves but modern mandaps come in lots of styles. The reason we have it is so that it keeps the good energy in and the bad energy out. We want good things to happen in the family not bad things.
CELEBRATORY DRUMMING
CROWD CHEERS
SIMRAN: To welcome the groom to the wedding a number of rituals are carried out by the bride's family. There's lots of fun traditions at Hindu weddings. Hamil has his shoes stolen by the bride's family. After the ceremony he'll have to pay to get them back.
MAN CHANTS
Hamil's face is hidden so he doesn't see Nikki before the ceremony. Nikki is wearing a traditional Indian dress called a sari. It's white and red representing purity and fertility. Hamil and Nikki are treated like a king and queen for the day. Rituals take place symbolizing Hamil and Nikki's love for each other to protect them from harm and to show their lives are now joined together.
MAN CHANTS
The priest lights the holy fire and a mantra is said about family. Nikki and Hamil then walk around the sacred fire four times. Hamil draws a sindoor on Nikki's head and gives her a special necklace. Both show a woman is married. The next part of the ceremony might look unusual but it's really important. Each nut represents a different quality that a couple needs in their new life together. In some weddings these qualities are represented by the couple taking seven steps together.
People enjoy Hindu weddings because they get to take pictures with the bride and groom and they get to meet new people make new friends. Whether in the UK or in India weddings bring families and communities together and it's a great reason to celebrate.
Video summary
14-year-old Simran tells us about some of the traditions and symbolism that make up a Hindu wedding ceremony.
They mark the bringing together of two families and two communities, and have a very large number of guests.
Simran shows us pictures of her auntie’s wedding in India, and we meet Nikki and Hemal, a young couple who are planning their Hindu wedding in the UK.
We see traditions such as henna hand painting, getting married under a canopy called a mandap, and the couple walking around a fire tied together.
The wedding day is about the excitement of dancing and having fun with family and friends, but also about expressing love and creating a new partnershi
This is from the series: My Life, My Religion - Hinduism
Teacher Notes
There are ten examples of different symbols and meanings featured in the clip.
There’s no exhaustive list of these: practice is very varied in both the UK and India.
Pupils could watch the clip with the list of ten meanings in front of them, and to try to notice, remember and understand what the symbols they see actually mean.
When they have finished, they could discuss, then write about the symbols they liked best: what symbols best express the meaning of two Hindu people getting married?
10 Symbols and meanings featured in the clip:
•Henna hand pattern painting: the darker the henna, the deeper the love.
• A canopy called a mandap: two people setting up their new home and life together.
• Standing together: keeping the good energy in and the bad energy out.
• Hemal has his shoes stolen by the bride’s family, after the ceremony he’ll have to pay to get them back: a fun way to show the two families are linking up
• Hemal’s face is hidden so he doesn’t see the Nikki before the ceremony: it’s not all about looks.
• Nikki wears traditional Indian dress: white symbolises purity and red is for fertility, for children.
• Hemal and Nikki are treated like a King and Queen for the day: it’s their once in a lifetime ‘big day’.
• Nikki and Hemal walk around the sacred fire four times: they are united together and protected.
• Hemal draws a sindoor on Nikki’s head, and gives her a special necklace: two symbols that show a woman is married.
• Nuts or steps are shared together: Each nut represents a different quality that a couple need in their new life together.
• The couple taking seven steps round the fire, tied together: these steps symbolise the qualities with which each partner will try to treat the other.
These clips will be relevant for teaching Religious Education at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and First and Second Level in Scotland.
Celebrating the festival of Holi. video
This short film explains why Hindu children throw paint and have bonfires at Holi, which is a spring festival, and explains what the celebrations are like in Leicester.
A Pilgrimage in Hinduism video
Hindu pilgrimages are many and varied. Simran and Vraj describe their experiences.
The Cycle of Birth and Rebirth. video
Hindus believe life is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Meeting two young British Hindus. video
Simran, aged 14, introduces herself and her Hindu religion. Her brother Vraj is 11.
Celebrating Raksha Bandan. video
Sisters tie a Rakhi to their brothers’ wrists to celebrate their love for their family.
Inside a Hindu Temple. video
This short film explores Hindu religion through worship described by 11 year old Vraj. Striking visuals show what happens at a Hindu temple.
Diwali - the festival of light. video
Hindus Vraj and Simran explain how they celebrate the festival of Diwali.
