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Spiritual: July 08, 2009 Issue [#3151]

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Spiritual


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  Edited by: spidey Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Welcome to the Spiritual Newsletter. I'm spidey Author Icon, and I'm your guest-editor this week. .


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Letter from the editor



Near the winter holidays, I was contacted by a friend from college, and he asked me for my address. I bet he's getting married, I thought to myself. Why else would a man be asking for a friend's address? *Laugh*

Sure enough, a few months later we received a wedding invitation for July 11th to a traditional Catholic ceremony. Now I knew his fiance and her family were Hindu, but I wasn't sure if that would influence their nuptuals. A few weeks ago, however, I received a second invitation, this one to a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.

My husband and I are very excited about the two ceremonies, as we love learning about other cultures, so I thought I'd research a little on Hindu ceremonies so I'd know what to expect.

I'm sure each ceremony can be a little different, but here are some basics on the average Hindu wedding ceremony:

A Hindu marriage ceremony can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, and is a very spiritual, meaningful ceremony filled with symbolic steps which involve not only the bride and groom but also their families.

*Bullet* The ceremony is highly ritualistic and can involve a variety of steps (some sites list 13, some list 15, so the ceremony can vary), including some of these:

A sacred fire ceremony - an invokation of Agni, the god of Fire, to be a witness to the couple's committment and to create an atmosphere of purity and spirituality.

*Bullet* They offer a handful of rice to the fire as a sacrifice

*Bullet* The couple's hands are tied with a scarf, symbolizing their eternal bond.

*Bullet* The couple then walk around the fire with the bride leading. (Some sources say they walk around four times, representing the four goals in life, Dharma (religious and moral duties); Artha (prosperity); Kama (earthly pleasures); and Moksha (spiritual salvation and liberation). Others claim seven cirlces around the fire.)

*Bullet* The ceremony generally finishes with a blessing by the groom and bride's family and the couple feeding a morsel of food to each other to express mutual love.



These are just a few aspects of the spiritual ceremony, as I've understood it in my research.

All wedding ceremonies, no matter the religious affiliations, are customizable to the groom and bride. That's one thing I think makes the ceremonies so special and beautiful. They're a reflection of the unique bond between two people. *Bigsmile*




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References:
http://www.hinduism.about.com
http://www.weddingdetails.com


Editor's Picks

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Ask & Answer

As a guest editor, I don't have any feedback in which to reply, but I'd love to hear your thoughts & feedback on this newsletter. What wedding traditions (of any religious or spiritual background) have you witnessed or taken part in? *Smile*


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