Rebecca Swithenbank and Hannah Walsh, Interfaith Wedding. Buddhism and Hinduism

1. Hindu & Buddhist
By Hannah Walsh and Rebecca Swithenbank

2. Hindu – facts to know…
 ‘Hinduism’ cannot actually be defined because it wasn’t originally founded as a
religion.
 People outside of the India area, such as Greeks and Arabs and those living in
the vicinty of ‘Sindhu’ river follow ‘Hinduism’ as a way of life.
 Hinduism is the oldest religion on the earth and is largely observed in India.
Customs and traditions
 Greeting – they greet one another with ‘Namaste’ or ‘Namaskar’ and place their
palms together when doing so.
 They do not eat nonvegetarian food on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and many
festival days.
In relation to marriage…
 Marriage is majorly arranged but with the consent of the bride and groom and they
take place only within the castes. If they marry outside of the caste, it is seen as
‘bad practice’.
 Marriage is a big thing to Hindus and they even take out a loan to support this
prestigious commitment.
 A married Hindu woman considers her husband as ‘God’ and her husband
considers her as his Ardhangini (half body).
 Once married, a Hindu woman wears: Mangalsutra around her neck, bangles in her
hand, and toe rings, which indicate that she is married. She also applies a Kumkum
spot or sticks a bindhi between her two eyebrows.

3. Hindu women
 Men and women are both equal, however in practice, women
are considered inferior to men.
 Nonetheless, attitudes towards woman has had a gradual
shift in recent years and Hindu women are now getting more
freedom. This allows them to be more ambitious with their
careers and not just limited to a family. They are now a lot of
women who are CEO’s of big businesses.
 Having said this, in Hinduism, women need to upkeep their
chastity and guard their virtue – it is very important. Although
the same thing applies to men, it is often overlooked.

4. Vivaah Samskar (Hindu marriage
ceremony)
 “Briefly stated, the marriage or the Vivaah Samskar is the
transition from the first stage of life, devoted to education and
learning, to the second stage of life, devoted to building a
household and raising children”
 “They lead a productive life of work, service and enjoyment,
fulfilling various duties, and obligations towards themselves,
families and society at large”

5. Buddhism
 In 624BC Buddha Shakyamuni was born as a prince and aged 29 he
turned to a spiritual life full of meditation and ‘attained enlightment
under the Bodhi tree in Bodhi Gaya, India.
 Buddhism is a flourishing tradition in India where it originated but
also in Asia, it is flourishing more amongst the West too
 A pre-wedding ritual that is still heavily received amongst the
Buddhism community is the ceremony of Chessian Bethrothal. Here
the uncle of the bride (the maternal uncle) is seated on a raised
platform with the priest chanting prayers and giving out the Madyan
(a religious drink) to everybody.

6. Buddhism
 A statue is also a thoughtful gift for a Buddhist couple. A statue of
Goddess Laxmi, the Goddess of prosperity would be well received.
And you can never go wrong with the traditional Maitreya Buddha,
who brings luck, or the Kwan Yin statue, which inspires compassion
and peace in the home.
 Buddhists are expected to follow the civil laws of their country and
state however a blessing can be received from a monk at their local
temple.
 Horoscopes are seen as ‘essential’ to match amongst the proposed
couple before a date is set. The wedding date is set ‘in consultation
with the astrologer.’

7. Traditional Buddhist
Weddings Traditionally the boy and/or his parents chose the future
bride and approached her house supported by friends with
gifts such as a white scarf called ‘Khada’. Once the proposal
has been agreed the male traditionally offers gifts to his
fiancée such as land.
 After the blessing is fulfilled, the parents of the couple place
a loop of string on their heads and then on the couples to
signifying the connection they have made.
 Red paste is applied to the forehead as a ritual before the
wedding party descend from the temple onto the brides
house
 The grooms family place a pot full of water and flowers along
with the bamboo sticks, in the entrance of the brides house,
to signifying good luck.
 ‘The wedding is treated as one of the simplest marriages as
there are no complex rituals to be performed. The entire
marriage takes place as decided by the parents of both bride
and the groom as Lord Buddha regarded marriage as a
social affair rather than the religious affair.’

8. Traditional Buddhist
Weddings
 On the day of the wedding the groom’s
family carries either 6 or 9 trays (the
numbers 7 or 8 are seen as unlucky).
Upon one of the trays is a candle that is lit
by the bride or groom to represent the
uniting of two individual souls and their
families. Trays also contain lavish food
and drink and another with jewelry for the
bride which is offered as a dowry.
 The wedding ceremony is solemnized
after reciting Mangal Sutta and
Jaymangala Gatha as this is seen as a
blessing towards the new couple and their
families.

9. Similarities
 Receiving and giving a dowry (a form of money or land which is
transferred as a ‘payment’) is seen as good luck amongst both
Hindu and Buddhist religions.
 Food: in recent times, meat-eating has become a more restrictive
practice in both Hinduism and Buddhism. Eating vegetarian options
is a fashion and a vanity among the elite and the middle class
Hindus. Vegetarianism also give them an aura of superiority.
Hindu:
 Money is the most common wedding gift given to Hindu couples to help them begin a
good life together.
Buddhism:
 Jewellery is offered to the bride as a dowry and the groom has to offer a suitable gift or
money to the bride’s sister. (A dowry however is seen as more of a cultural aspect than a
religious one)

10. Differences
Hindu:
 Gifts – To honor a Hindu couple’s marriage and beliefs, guests should never gift them
with anything made from leather, nor present them with anything that contains alcohol or
present them with white flowers (which are given at funerals).
 White is “the absence of colour” and only widows are allowed to wear this colour. White
is only acceptable if worn at funerals or ceremonies that mark death in the family. White
is symbolised as a colour that repels all light and therefore when a woman wears white,
she is disconnecting herself from activity and participation in society.
Buddhism:
 During the rituals, Buddhists offer whisky and during the carrying of 6 or 9 trays, they
contain lavish drink for the bride, groom and families. Wine represents generosity.
 Upon proposal, the man gives his fiancé a white scarf ‘Khada’.

11. Conversion
 Governed by Hindu Law, if a Hindu partner would like to marry a
non-Hindu partner then the non-Hindu partner must convert to
Hinduism.
Interfaith Ceremony
 “When a Hindu bride or groom marries a non-Hindu, they often wish
to honor their heritage and families in a way that is sacred and
meaningful, and yet simpler and shorter. It is not unusual to create a
wedding rich in Hindu rituals that also includes traditions from the
other partner’s faith and family.”

12. Reference List
 http://hinduismfacts.org/hindu-customs-and-traditions/
 http://www.hinduwedding.info/marriage-ceremony.html
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-holmes/cultural-wedding-
gifts_b_2688362.html
 http://www.aboutbuddhism.org/history-of-buddhism.htm/
 http://www.culturalindia.net/weddings/regional-
weddings/buddhist-wedding.html
 http://weddingtraditions.about.com/od/GuestsAttendants/ss/M
arriage-Gifts-Buddhist-Hindu-Couples_2.htm#step-heading
 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-around-
the-world/india-country-symbolic-colors-1935#.VNdenVvlfzI
 www.countercurrents.org/gender-marriage031103.htm
 http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/concepts/meat-
eating.asp
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-laurie-sue-brockway/5-
hindu-traditions-to-inc_b_5024623.html