Aim

To reflect on the idea of marriage.
To become familiar with some of the elements within a Hindu wedding ceremony.

Preparation

Before the lesson obtain images of a Hindu wedding.

Lesson

Begin by revising what was taught about samskars in the previous lesson.

For the majority of Hindus, the most important samskar is the marriage ceremony.

Discuss marriage with the children. What do they think of it? Why do people do it? Do their planned Journeys Ahead include marriage?

Introduce the idea of an arranged marriage, which is a common practice amongst Hindus throughout the world. What are the children's opinions?

Using a video or still images, guide children through a Hindu wedding ceremony.

What does the tying together of the sari and scarf symbolize?

What are the similarities / differences between a Hindu wedding and any other type of marriage ceremony with which the children are familiar?

What did they like/dislike about the Hindu wedding ceremony?

You may wish to focus on some of the prayers spoken.

For example; as the couple walk seven times around the fire, the groom recites

"I am this, you are that, you are that, I am this: I the heavens, you the earth. Come let us marry, let us have children. Loving, bright, happy, may we live a hundred autumns."

Following discussion, ask the children to plan a wedding ceremony. (They may wish to imagine themselves at some point in the future, as one of the participants.)

Alternatively, they may wish to write a prayer similar to the one above or a description of the ceremony itself.

Notes

Information and images relating to Hindu weddings can be found on the rites of passage section of RE-XS, http://re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk

It may be of interest to the children to know that in comparison to marriages undertaken in the conventional manner, fewer arranged marriages end in divorce.