What is wedding..?

Hello readers! I hope you are all doing well. Yesterday, a friend of mine and I had a very interesting discussion about weddings and their meanings in different religions. So, I thought, why can't I share it with you?

If we talk about the Vedic age, there were different types of weddings called Brahmana, Daiva, Arsha, Prajapatya, Gandharva, Rakshasa, Asura, and Pisacha.

Among these, Brahmana, Gandharva, Prajapatya, and Rakshasa were commonly practiced. Now, the question is, what do these weddings mean?

• Brahmana – In simple terms, it was today's arranged marriage.
• Gandharva – Love marriage (In the Vedic age, girls had the right to choose their life partner).
• Prajapatya – It is similar to Brahmana, but in this case, the bride's father searched for the groom, and the practice of Kanyadana was not performed.
• Rakshasa – In this type, the bride was abducted (kidnapped) from her home, or sometimes the groom would fight with the bride's family and forcefully take her as his bride.

As time has progressed, the concept of religion has come into our society, and with this, the types and meanings of marriage have changed.

In HINDUISM, marriage means a sacred bond between a boy and a girl. It is believed that a marriage is made in heaven, and once married, the couple's bond is meant to last for seven lifetimes. It is considered a union of two souls, and from here they enter into the second important phase or ashram of their life – the 'Grihasthashram'.

In ISLAM, a wedding is a contract between the bride and groom that is accepted by both in front of the Holy Quran by saying Qubul Hai. In Islam, marriages among Muslims have the nature of a civil contract. Marriage is necessary for the legitimization of a child.

In CHRISTIANITY, Christians view marriage as a divinely blessed, lifelong, monogamous union between a man and a woman. Christian teaching has never held that marriage is necessary for everyone. Christians believe that marriage is considered ideal according to the purpose of God. At the heart of God's design for marriage is companionship and intimacy.

In SIKHISM, the wedding ceremony is known as "Anand Karaj," which means 'Blissful Union". The Sikh marriage is a very colorful and unique ceremony in which two individuals are joined in a partnership of equals.

Apart from this, according to me, a wedding means a way of sharing love, care, and showing affection to each other. As humans are social beings and can't live alone in our lives, we want someone to hear our thoughts, share our feelings and emotions, and to maintain continuity in our society. Therefore, a wedding is one of the essential needs of human beings.