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Normally all Christian wedding are celebrated in
a Church. The friends and family members of the bride
and the bridegroom attain the wedding celebration.
Just like any other wedding in other religion Christian
wedding is also celebrated over a couple of days.
As there are pre wedding, wedding and post wedding
rituals. An Anglo Indian Christian bride traditionally
wears a white gown in western style and the groom
wears a suit. The wedding rituals are conducted along
with the holy mass. Like in all Indian matrimonial
rituals, this community too, has an interesting lecture
with an emphasis on the sanctity of marriage given
by the priest. Christian wedding rituals and customs
are simple and easy to follow.
Among the main pre wedding rituals there are functions
like bridal shower, which is an informal hen party
hosted by the bride's female friends. It is mainly
a female get together to celebrate the occasion. It
is a fun filled function where games are played, they
sing and dance the whole night. The friends and relatives
shower gifts upon the bride. The bride serves a pink
cake with a thimble hidden inside. According to tradition,
the girl who gets the slice of cake with the thimble
in it will be the next to marry.
Just like the bridal shower, which is an all girl's
party a bachelor's party is also celebrated by the
groom and his male friends. It is called a stag party
hosted by the groom on the eve of his wedding or a
couple of days earlier. Usually this is a wild party,
and the groom is expected to enjoy his last night
as a bachelor.
It is customary to raise a toast before the drinking
begins in earnest. It is mostly celebrated to have
fun and enjoyment with his close fiends.
Welcoming the bride is done on the day of the wedding;
when the groom sends a car to pick up the bride and
waits for her outside the church. When the bride arrives,
the Best Man welcomes her with a kiss on either cheek
and hands her a bouquet of flowers. The couple walks
down the aisle slowly and gracefully with the wedding
procession in tow till they reach where the priest
stands for the wedding mass. The priest then welcomes
them and offers his best wishes. The wedding mass
begins with hymns and selected readings from the Bible.
The priest then delivers the homily, with an emphasis
on the sanctity of marriage. The next ritual is the
blessing and the exchange of the wedding rings. The
ceremony comes to an end with the final blessing of
the priest. The guests, towards the end, shower their
blessings on the newly wedded couple. The last formality
is the couple then signs the register and walk down
aisle, arm in arm.
In the post wedding rituals like weddings in all
Indian community Catholic weddings is followed by
a reception for celebration the reception party is
a grand affair where the newly-weds enter the venue
and are welcomed by all with a shower of confetti.
They cut the wedding cake and feed each a bite of
the first slice. The Toastmaster proposes a toast
in honor of the couple. The reception is mostly celebrated
with dance and dinner party. In many function a live
band performs and everybody dances to the tune of
the band. This is how most Christian weddings are
celebrated
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