Mauritian wedding Ceremony

A few days back I attended a Mauritian wedding(Vivah Sanskar – Hindu wedding) – in London ,(UK) along with my beautiful wife and Mother -in-law. WE were invited by Mr Sanjeev and Vennesa close friend of my wife Simmi. Over hundardred years of implantation in Mauritius, it is remarkable how time-bound practices are maintained even in the era of globalization , internet and in foreign land.

One thing in common with all Hindu marriages, whether in India or in the Diaspora, is that they are all governed by the Solah Sanskars or sixteen sacraments which refer to the Hindu rites of passage from birth to death. The Vivah Sanskar has come down to us from the Vedic Period. Manu says that “the whole Veda is the first source, the sacred law”. The Hindu marriage ceremony entails not only rites and rituals, which take their origin from the Rig Veda, but also other household manuals known as Grihya Sutras. The Grihya Sutras are many and in ancient times each family had their own Grihya Sutras. Customs and traditions vary from place to place These are known as the Smritis. As the people of Indian origin in Mauritius hail largely from the Bihar-UP region as well as from several other states of India such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, they have also brought along the customs and traditions prevailing there. Customs vary according to (1) deshacharas, (2) kulacharas, and (3) jatya-charas. The tying of the auspicious yarns, wearing garlands, tying of the garments of the bride and bridegroom are not found in Grihya Sutras but nonetheless have been handed down as gramvachana – what the elders of the locality prescribe by tradition. That is why one notes several such variations that accompany the main Vedic rites. Engagement dinner, uniquely Mauritian The evening on 8th july we went to a wedding hall to celebrate engagement ceromon in Ealing Broadway . The Couple exchange the rings and got engaged officially in froant of family memeber and friends of bride and groom.everyone was so happy. The dinner is also a typical Mauritian fiesta Samosa.spring rolls,sagu with papadum and chicken biriyni.. wedding was celebrated on 9th of july in saamas hall Morden . It was same wedding hall where me nd my wife done our wedding reception years back .There was lots of change of layout of hall over the years . The wedding proper was held in two parts. The first was the Jai Mala where the bride and bridegroom exchanged garlands in a big pavilion in front of all the guests. Whole day wedding ceremonies That was the first, ‘public’ part of the wedding. The second part which I attended throughout was more of a private ceremony at home with only family members and close friends. The various preliminaries to the wedding were the same as we do here with mati korai imli ghontai, guratha by the bridegroom’s elder brother, as were those associated with kanya dan. The girl’s mother gave the kanyadaan. Lawa milai by the girl’s brothers was performed. The sindur dan was done in full view of everybody, with no veil as is done here, and the bridegroom applied the vermilion colour profusely on the hair parting of the bride. After the sindur dan they changed seats, and the pandits explained the seven vows to both. The gifts brought by the bridegroom were a very big assortment of different jewellery sets, several saris, fruits, sweets, etc., in large baskets. Later in the evening, the bride’s parents and close relatives were invited to a reception/dinner at the saams wedding hall. By and large whether in Mauritius or India, the main wedding rites common to all Hindu marriages are the (1) Kanya Dan ceremony, (2) the saptapadi (which is often confused with saat phere), (3) the invocation of the seven vows in front of the sacred fire – Agni who is the main witness to the wedding. The parikrama around the sacred fire comprises four rounds by the bride and bridegroom according to most Grihya Sutras. But the Hindi cinema has popularized the concept of saat phere. These days Sangeet based on Bollywood dance items is performed on marriage occasions by youngsters of the family both in India and Mauritius. then in the evening we have full on fun ,dance ,food at 9 o'clock newlly wed couple cut the cake and did first dance. there were some sega dancer itwas so nice to attqand the wedding we had a full on enjoy god bless the couple I really like the wedding.