A Sikh Wedding (English)

Discover Sikh: Sikh W

edding Page 7

English Translation of the Four Marriage Hymns:

In the first round of the m

arriage ceremony the G

uru has shown the duties

of the householder life. Sing t

he B n (sacred hymns)

instead of the Vedas

and hold fast to the faith w

hich they reveal so that God m

ay free you from

all evil inclinations. Cling to the righteousness and co

ntemplate God's

Name which is the theme of all scriptures. Devote yourself to the True

Guru and all evil w

ill depart. Those m

inds are indeed b

lessed w

hich are

filled w

ith the sweetness of the N

ame. To them bliss comes effortlessly.

||1||

In the seco

nd round of the m

arriage ceremony you are to reco

gnise that

God has caused you to meet the True Guru who washes away the self-

centredness of those that sing God's praises. I stand reverently face to face

with the G

uru. God is the soul of the universe, the only O

ne, being w

ithin

us and outside us. There is nothing in w

hich God does not pervade. Songs of

rejoicing are header in the company of the godly. Slave Nanak says, in the

seco

nd round divine m

usic is heard. ||2||

In the third round of the marriage ceremony the longing for God and

detach

ment

from the world wells

up.

By our

good fortune,

in godly

company, we enco

unter God w

hose purity is found through singing divine

praises. G

ood fortune has brought us into the fellowship of the saints in

which the story of the ineffable O

ne is told. God's love fills our minds and

absorbs us, as we have been blessed w

ith a good destiny w

hich is reco

rded

on our foreheads. In the third circling, says Nanak, God's love is awakened

in the heart. ||3||

In the fourth round of the marriage ceremony the mind attains divine

knowledge and union with God becomes co

mplete. This blissful state is

reach

ed through the G

uru's grace. The sweetness of the beloved pervades

our souls and bodies. G

od is dear to m

e and I to G

od on w

hom m

y m

ind is

fixed day and night. By exalting God I have ach

ieved m

y heart's desire. The

beloved (G

od) has co

mpleted the union. The bride's mind has blossomed

with the beloved's name. The beloved is united w

ith the holy bride. Says

slave Nanak,

in the fourth round I have become one with the One.

||4||2||

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edding Page 1

Outline of a Sikh W

edding Day:

1. Departure of Baraat:

Bara

at

is t

he t

erm

use

d t

o d

esc

ribe t

he p

art

y f

rom

th

e G

room

s si

de.

The Bara

at

will

leave fr

om

th

e G

room

's house

to

th

e

Gurd

wara

where

the w

eddin

g w

ill ta

ke p

lace.

2. Reception of Baraat:

The G

room

's p

art

y is

"receiv

ed"

by t

he B

ride's p

art

y

at

the G

urd

wara

. 3. Milni:

(m

eans

"Intr

oducti

ons"

): A

short

sta

ndin

g p

rayer

is p

erf

orm

ed b

y

the Sik

h G

ranth

i (e

quiv

ela

nt

of

Pri

est

), fo

llow

ed by th

e fo

rmal

public

intr

oducti

ons

of

the m

ain

male

rela

tives

in t

he f

am

ilie

s.

4. Tea:

Tea w

ith s

tric

t vegeta

rian s

avouri

es

and s

weets

will

be s

erv

ed a

nd

are

norm

ally t

aken s

tandin

g a

t ta

ble

s. C

hair

s are

seld

om

pro

vid

ed.


edding Page 6

Im

portance of Marriage:

The S

ikh w

eddin

g c

ere

mony i

s called “

Anand K

aara

j” w

hic

h l

itera

lly m

eans

“Cere

mony o

f Bliss

”.

Marr

iage i

s a s

pir

itual

identi

ty,

not

just

a l

ove a

ffair

betw

een t

wo p

eople

. The f

ocus

of

marr

iage is

not

rom

anti

c love o

r physi

cal

liais

on,

though

these

asp

ects

of

marr

iage

natu

rally

bri

ng

their

ow

n

delight.

The S

ikh m

arr

iage

is a

ll a

bout

love,

but

what

kin

d o

f lo

ve?

It i

s th

e L

ove

of

the Soul-

bri

de fo

r G

od,

that

longin

g t

o m

erg

e w

ith

the

Infi

nit

e.

A

Sik

h

marr

iage

is

two

people

tr

yin

g t

o h

elp

one a

noth

er

in t

his

merg

er.

The h

ighest

lo

ve i

s ass

isti

ng a

noth

er

in

the m

erg

er

of

the s

oul w

ith

the

infi

nit

e,

help

ing

the

Belo

ved

to

find

the

true

purp

ose

of

their

lif

e.

The f

our

nupti

al

rounds

(Laavaa’n

) w

ere

wri

tten b

y t

he f

ourt

h S

ikh G

uru

, G

uru

Raam

Daas

Ji,

for

his

ow

n w

eddin

g.

In t

hem

he t

ells

us

that

the f

irst

com

mit

ment

is f

or

one t

o b

e t

rue t

o o

ne's o

wn s

oul,

to b

e c

om

mit

ted t

o

righte

ousn

ess

, be on th

e sp

irit

ual

path

and com

munic

ate

w

ith th

e so

ul

thro

ugh p

ers

onal sp

irit

ual pra

cti

ce.

Then t

he G

uru

tells

the c

ouple

that

they h

ave m

et

the T

rue G

uru

, th

ey c

an

get

out

of

their

ego identi

ficati

on a

nd s

acri

fice t

o t

he u

nit

y,

to t

he m

erg

er,

and

rise

above

their

pers

onaliti

es

and

judgem

ents

. Com

mit

to

th

e

inst

ituti

on o

f m

arr

iage a

s part

of

one’s

spir

itual path

. Next,

the c

ouple

are

told

that

they h

ave b

een b

less

ed t

o b

e a

part

of

the

Saadh S

angat

(the C

om

pany o

f th

e H

oly

), a

nd t

hat

their

liv

es

should

be a

n

exam

ple

of

serv

ice and div

init

y to

all aro

und th

em

, to

fu

lfil th

e gre

at

dest

iny t

hey h

ave b

een g

iven.

Fin

ally,

the G

uru

says

that

the m

erg

er

has

taken p

lace w

ith t

he I

nfi

nit

e,

because

one h

as

follow

ed h

is a

dvic

e.

Each h

as

insp

ired t

he o

ther

tow

ard

s th

at

merg

er.


edding Page 5

7. Departure of Doli:

Aft

er

the m

arr

iage c

ere

mony h

as

finis

hed t

he b

ride

and g

room

alo

ng w

ith c

lose

rela

tives

and f

riends

go t

o t

he b

ride’s

pare

nta

l hom

e.

When th

e bri

de and gro

om

arr

ive at

the house

th

en th

e bri

de’s

si

sters

, fr

iends

and f

am

ily e

njo

y t

easi

ng t

he g

room

and t

he p

art

y a

nd a

sk

for

money t

o e

nte

r th

e h

ouse

. It

is

all in a

hum

ouro

us

and f

un a

tmosp

here

.

The b

ride t

hen d

epart

s fr

om

her

pare

nt's

house

(a v

ery

sad a

nd t

ouchin

g

occasi

on).

In s

om

e c

ase

s, s

he c

hanges

into

new

clo

thes

that

are

pre

sente

d

to h

er

by t

he g

room

's f

am

ily b

efo

re d

epart

ing.


edding Page 2

5. The Sikh W

edding Ceremony (

Anand K

aara

j):

This

is

the f

orm

al

part

of

the cere

mony and alw

ays

takes

pla

ce in

a G

urd

wara

. Ple

ase

obse

rve th

e

rule

s applicable

whic

h a

re d

esc

ribed in t

he “

Vis

itin

g a

Gurd

wara

” p

am

phle

t.

Als

o d

esc

ribed h

ere

is

the c

loth

ing t

o b

e w

orn

. Ple

ase

note

that

as

you w

ill

be r

equir

ed t

o s

it o

n t

he c

arp

ete

d f

loor,

suit

able

clo

thin

g s

hould

be w

orn

. Keertan - T

he s

ingin

g o

f th

e S

acre

d H

ym

ns

from

Sri

Guru

Gra

nth

Sahib

Ji.

Ardaas

– The c

ongre

gati

on s

tands

up t

o d

o a

collecti

ve p

rayer

to s

hare

their

ble

ssin

gs

and p

rayers

for

the c

ouple

. Som

eti

mes

only

the k

ey p

eople

(Bri

de,

gro

om

, both

pare

nts

of

bri

de and gro

om

) w

ill

stand st

raig

ht

wit

h fo

lded

hands

and j

oin

in t

his

pra

yer,

while t

he c

ongre

gati

on q

uie

tly s

it a

nd lis

ten.


edding Page 3

Pallaa Ceremony –

The fa

ther

or

a se

nio

r m

em

ber

of

the bri

de’s

fa

mily

giv

es

aw

ay t

he b

ride a

nd p

laces

the P

allaa (

long s

carf

) of

the g

room

into

th

e h

ands

of

the b

ride s

ym

bolisi

ng t

hat

from

now

on t

he h

usb

and’s

duty

is

to h

onour,

cheri

sh a

nd s

upport

the b

ride a

nd t

hat

the b

ride a

nd g

room

are

bound

togeth

er.

W

hilst

th

is

cere

mony

is

bein

g

conducte

d

the

Raagis

(m

usi

cia

ns)

sin

g a

ppro

pri

ate

hym

ns.

Laavaa’n –

There

are

four

marr

iage h

ym

ns.

The B

ride a

nd G

room

will list

en

to th

e fi

rst

hym

n.

At

the com

ple

tion of

this

th

ey bow

dow

n to

sh

ow

accepta

nce.

The s

am

e h

ym

n is

then s

ung b

y b

y t

he S

ikh r

eligio

us

musi

cia

ns

whilst

th

e Bri

de and G

room

w

alk

aro

und Sri

G

uru

G

ranth

Sahib

Ji

as

a

physi

cal

com

mit

ment

to t

he v

ow

and t

o e

xpre

ss t

he f

act

the G

uru

is

the

centr

e o

f th

eir

liv

es.

The c

onclu

sion o

f th

e c

ere

mony is

follow

ed b

y K

eert

an

(sin

gin

g o

f sa

cre

d h

ym

ns)

to c

ele

bra

te,

and t

he c

ongre

gati

on u

sually o

ffers

a d

onati

on t

o t

he m

usi

cia

ns

as

a t

oken o

f jo

y.


edding Page 4

Ardaas

- All th

e congre

gati

on w

ill

stand and jo

in in

th

e ard

aas.

This

fo

llow

ed by H

ukam

nam

a (H

oly

Edic

t) re

ad fr

om

Sri

G

uru

G

ranth

Sahib

Ji

whic

h a

ll t

he c

ongre

gati

on a

ttenti

vely

lis

tens

to w

hilst

sit

ting d

ow

n.

Karhaah Parshaad -

Ble

ssed "

Sw

eet

puddin

g"

is s

erv

ed a

s a f

orm

of

sacre

d

com

munio

n.

(It

is m

ade o

f w

heat

flour,

sugar,

cla

rifi

ed b

utt

er

and w

ate

r).

It

is r

eceiv

ed w

ith p

lacin

g b

oth

hands

opened a

nd p

laced t

ogeth

er.

Sagun:

Both

pare

nts

congra

tula

te t

he c

ouple

. In

many c

ase

s guest

s fo

llow

to

pre

sent

the couple

w

ith gif

ts of

a cash

off

eri

ngs

in th

eir

la

p,

whic

h

contr

ibute

s to

the c

ouple

’s n

ew

sta

rt in lif

e.

Lunch:

Accord

ing t

o S

ikh t

radit

ion,

the S

ikh w

eddin

g c

ere

mony is

conclu

ded

wit

h t

he c

om

munal pure

vegeta

rian m

eal (L

angar)

share

d in t

he G

urd

wara

.

Documents

A Sikh Wedding (English)