All About Wedding In Buddhist Matrimony

By Author: Ankush Singhal
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Buddhism is a religion and a philosophy that synthesizes much of the spiritual life, cultural and social world Oriental. In Buddhist matrimony, marriage means a commitment between a man and a woman, who promise to love each other and help each other toward the Karma. The weddings in Buddhism are different from that of Hinduism and Christianity; it is a ceremony that is focused on providing space between the couple. The couple makes a vow about sincerity and honesty for maintaining a sound and spiritual relationship.

As in most cultures and religions, the wedding proceedings in Buddhist Matrimony start when the boy asks for the girl's hand. A close friend of the boy carries a wine bottle or any other alcoholic beverage, along with a white silk scarf known as khada. The friend of the boy determines the interest of the girl’s family about the alliance, and this custom is known as Khachang.

After confirming the consent of the girl’s family, a formal meeting is held between the two families, and the Kikas (horoscopes) are matched. The auspicious ...
... date of engagement and wedding are determined according to the positioning of stars. As per the traditions in Buddhist matrimony, the groom offers some presents to the bride, which can be anything from money, jewellery or land, which hold some value.

The Buddhist weddings are held in the temple and as such, there is a specific protocol to perform the ceremony. The couple asks for blessings from a Buddhist priest, and all the rest of the ceremony is planned according to the cultural traditions of the couple. The most common of these is the astrological prediction. In Thailand, for example, the exact time of celebration or a formal commitment is determined by the monks after consulting the charts of the couple.

Likewise, civil marriages are also accepted in Buddhist matrimony. Everything related to engagement and wedding of the couple, according to Buddhism, is dictated by the monks, who have previously performed and interpreted the charts of the couple.

During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom sit together in a posture of total respect, with their heads down, hands and feet together and are yoked with holy water, thereby receiving the blessings of the Buddhist monk. As an offering, the couple offers food to the god Buddha and the monks. In appreciation of this offering, the monk who leads the ceremony anoints the bride and groom with sacred pollen and water. During the wedding celebrations, delicacies are offered to the newlywed couple and God Buddha. Later, the family blesses the newlywed couple, pray for their happy, blissful and prosperous married life.

On the wedding day, the relatives and the family members gather at a place where there is a shrine of Lord Buddha. The invitees lit the candles and recite the Tisarana, Pancasila and the Vandana. The bride and groom also lit the candles and after the formal wedding rituals, the couple recites the wedding vows, which are inscribed in the Sigilovdda Sutta.

The bride goes to her house mounted on a mare. The color of the animal must match the zodiacal branch of the bride. Upon arriving home a series of rituals follow, which are intended to entrust the good fortune of the couple and symbolize that the groom's soul is entrusted to the bride. The bride then goes to the groom's house, accompanied by her family and other relatives. The bride sits on a specially designed mat. During the entry of the bride in Buddhist matrimony, songs are sung by the women of the family, wishing the happy married life to the couple.

Rashmi writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India’s fastest growing matrimonial website. Jeevansathi.com helps the users to search corresponding matches from their respective community like Hindu Matrimonial, Jain Matrimonial from their online matrimonial and matchmaking services.