Christian Matrimony
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Christian matrimony site.
Christian matrimony site.
Welcome to Christian Matrimony by iMarriages, a free matrimony portal for Christian Indians.
Christianity is the third most followed religion in India with the majority of followers in states of Meghalaya, Nagaland, Kerala, and Goa. Christian matrimonial ceremony is known for being a simple and sophisticated affair.
Christian or Bethlehem matrimonials are characterized by beautiful churches with enthralling decorations in a soothing atmosphere, the bride adoring in a white dress and the groom in a black suit. These delightful elements make Christian matrimony a delightful treat for visuals. However, in India, the Christian weddings are a blissful blend of Indian and global cultures. Due to this stunning amalgamation of Indo-Western customs, many people from other communities also dream to have a white wedding.
A Christian wedding comprises many meaningful and essential rituals symbolizing the spirit of togetherness, showers of blessings, and fun with family and friends. These rituals help the bride and groom to shed their shyness and discomfort before they start their new journey of married life. Here are some of the most important and common pre-wedding rituals of Christian matrimony:-
The Bridal Shower and Hen's Party
Marriage comes with responsibilities, so this bridal shower or hen's party is given to the would-be-bride by all of her female friends to enjoy her last day as a free-living girl before being a woman with responsibilities. This is one of the most enjoyable pre-wedding rituals gaining popularity among youngsters of almost all the communities throughout the world. This celebration is filled with Lip-smacking food, goodies, and gifts for the bride and showers of blessings for a blissful married life. During this ritual, the bride serves a pink cake to all her guests. The function ends with a great musical bash of the bride her female friends.
The Bachelor's Party
On the eve of the pre-wedding day, the family and friends of the groom organize a bachelor's party to celebrate his last day as a bachelor. It is an all-stags party where the groom and his male friends enjoy to the fullest they usually eat, drink, and recount the days of school or college. The party starts with raising a toast in the name of the groom to bless him for his happy and prosperous married life.
The Roce/Haldaat Ceremony
This ceremony takes place a day before the wedding, during this ceremony a paste of turmeric and sandalwood is applied on both the bride and the groom this ceremony is known as Haldaat among the North Indian Christians. A similar tradition wherein a paste of coconut and milk is applied to the bride and the groom is observed among the Christians of the southern part of the country. This ceremony is known as Roce ceremony. It also includes friends and families singing traditional wedding songs as each member take his/her turn to apply the paste to the couple. The whole ceremony concludes with a roce prayer and then delicious traditional dinner is served along with drinks.
In a typical Christian matrimony, the groom sends a car to pick his would-be bride from her house. The best man and the maid of honor are already present at church to initiate the formal wedding rituals and to assume there position as soon as the bride arrives.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the groom waits at the altar for his bride. The bride walks slowly towards the altar accompanied by her father. On reaching the altar, the father of the bride's hands over the bride to the groom. After which the couple walks towards the front stage where the priest reads prayers for their happy and prosperous married life.
In a modernized tradition, which is very popular, nowadays the bride and the groom after accepting each other as a lawfully wedded husband and wife, take their own vows with things that are important to them. As the ceremony concludes, the priest unites them in a holy alliance and solemnizes their marriage. The couple then exchanges their wedding rings amidst of the sermons and prayers recited by the priest. Finally, the priest announces the couple as a husband and wife.
Welcoming of Bride
Unlike marriages of other cultures and communities where members of the bride's family welcome the groom and his party, among Christians the bride is welcomed at the altar as she arrives in the vehicle sent by her would-be-husband.
The Wedding Mass
As the Ganesh pooja is important in Hindu wedding culture, similarly the wedding mass is also one of the mandatory Catholic Christian wedding rituals. It begins with reciting of hymns by the priest to seek blessings for the new couple. The priest then recites the homily to teach the importance of this holy matrimony to the couple as well as to the attendees.
The Reception Party
In the evening, a reception party is held in honor of the bride and groom. This reception is a very lively occasion, including all the family members and close friends of the newlyweds. The couple cuts their wedding cake and serves them to all the attendees before the dinner is served.
The Toast
After dinner, a toast is raised in the name of the couple. The crowd wishes lots of good luck to the newlyweds. After that, everybody enjoys the musical bash with the beats of DJ on the floor. The Indian touch of Bethlehem matrimony of Kerala.
Among South Indians especially among the Bethlehem matrimony of Keralites, there is an additional custom which adds an Indian touch to this global wedding. This ritual is tying of Thali around the bride’s neck by the groom which is a gold chain along with a leaf-shaped pendant with the symbol of the cross embedded on it, this symbolizes the Mangalsutra of Hindu weddings. This is followed by the offering of the Matrakodi (the Wedding Saree) to the bride.
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