Christians are an important part of Indian culture. Though the population of the Christians in the country is less as compared to that of Hindus and Muslims, the Christian religion has a deep impact on the contemporary Indian Culture. Christian culture is very sober and elegant especially a Christian Wedding despite being simple and sober is a visual delight. Like other Indian marriages, the Indian Christian Wedding is also an elaborative affair spread over pre wedding, wedding and post wedding rituals. Read on if you are keen on the detailed description of tradition and ritual of an Indian Christian Wedding ceremony.
Once the bride reaches the church and is received by the best men, the bride and the groom walk slowly and gracefully with the wedding procession in tow till they reach where the priest stands for the wedding mass. The priest then welcomes them and offers his best wishes. The wedding mass begins with hymns and selected readings from the Bible. The priest then delivers the homily, with an emphasis on the sanctity of marriage. The next ritual is the blessing and the exchange of the wedding rings. The ceremony comes to an end with the final blessing of the priest. The guests, towards the end, shower their blessings on the newly wedded couple. The last formality is the couple then signs the register and walk down aisle, arm in arm.
Among the main pre wedding rituals there are functions like bridal shower, which is an informal hen party hosted by the bride's female friends. It is mainly a female get together to celebrate the occasion. It is a fun filled function where games are played, they sing and dance the whole night. The friends and relatives shower gifts upon the bride. The bride serves a pink cake with a thimble hidden inside. According to tradition, the girl who gets the slice of cake with the thimble in it will be the next to marry.