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Sweets, eggs, and money are woven into to wedding
themes of India. They symbolize, respectively, a sweet
life, fertility, and prosperity. The Hindu wedding
ceremony includes customary rituals to ward off evil
spirits. After the wedding vows have been exchanged
the groom's father or brother showers flower petals
on the newlyweds; then he holds a coconut over the
bride and groom's heads and circles it around them
three times. An Indian groom often wears a turban
with a veil of flowers streaming down in front of
his face to protect him from evil spirits.
Traditional Indian brides wear pink and red saris
on their wedding day, adorning themselves extravagantly
with as much jewellery as possible. Henna staining,
a customary art form, is still practiced by Indian
brides to be. On the eve of her wedding vows, following
a traditional ceremonial cleansing, the bride-to-be
will have her hands and feet painted with henna, in
beautiful paisley or medallion patterns.
Then a special wedding gift is given to the bride,
a necklace signifying her married status
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