The ceremony is a mixture of Canadian and Indian traditions. We will have an english ceremony followed by a traditional hindu ceremony. Marriage in Hindu religion is one of the sixteen sacrements laid down through the Vedic way of life, to make an individual's life noble and prosperous. ENGLISH CEREMONY: This ceremony will consist of the exchange of vows and rings followed by readings by Phan Du & Valerie Gillis. HINDU CEREMONY: The Hindu portion of the wedding will consist of the following: Swagatam: Kavita's parents and sister Aartee welcome Robert at the altar by placing a Tilak on his forehead. Jai Mala: Kavita and Robert exchange garlands to signify their formal acceptance of each other in marriage. Ganesh Puja: The ceremony starts with a prayer invoking Lord Ganesha, whose divine grace dispels all evil and promotes a successful and peaceful completion of the wedding. Kanya Daan & Paani Grahan: Kavita's parents perform the ritual of giving away Kavita to Robert through a symbolic gesture of holy water flowing from the parent's hand to Robert's hand and through Kavita's. Kanya Daan is considered to be the one of the holiest acts ever made by the parents. Ganthi Bandhan: Kavita's cousin, Travin, ties the wedding knots as a symbol of the permanent union between Robert and Kavita as husband and wife. The knot signifies physical, mental & spiritual togetherness. Agni Puja: In the presence of the holy fire, the priest recites Mantras to invite all gods and goddesses of the universe for their presence in the ceremony. Havan Samigri is added to the fire by Robert, Kavita and her parents. Mangal Fera: Kavita and Robert walk around the fire four times; each time they stop to touch a stone in their path that symbolizes obstacles in life that they will overcome together. These four rounds stand for the four basic human goals: Dharma (right conduct), Arth (wealth), Kama (energy and passion), and Maksha (liberation from materialism). The first three rounds are led by Kavita signifying her leading contribution in helping each other attain Dharma, Arth and Kama. Robert leads the last round signifying his leadership in their final liberation from materialism. Saptapadi: Robert and Kavita take seven steps together symbolizing the seven requirements of happy married life. They exchange one sacred vow at the beginning of each step. The seven steps and the promise at each step are as follows: 1) Let us take the first step to provide a nourishing and pure diet for our household. 2) Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental & spiritual strengths. 3) Let us take the third step to become true companions and remain life long partners. 4) Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness & harmony by love and trust. 5) Let us take the fifth step for the good of all creatures. 6) Let us take the sixth step so that we are blessed with strong, virtuous & heroic children. 7) Let us take the seventh step to remain sacredly illuminated. Sindoor: Robert places vermilion in Kavita's hair parting and welcomes her into his life as his eternal partner. Kavita now sits on the left side of Robert, signifying that she will always be close to his heart. Ashirvad: Robert and Kavita are blessed by family members at the end of the ceremony while eight mantras of Mangalastak-Aashirvad are recited.   Some definitions... Mandap. A brightly decorated tent. This tent is where man and woman are married in the Hindu ceremony Pandit: The Pandit is a Hindu religious leader Mehandi: An art using henna to decorate the skin with complex designs.