Picture of the Week: A Cultural Ceremony’s Beautiful Ritual

Photo by Emily Wren.

From photographer Emily Wren:

This photo was taken at the wedding of Kinari Chandriani and Samip Mallick in the Abington Art Center. They had a Hindu wedding ceremony in the morning followed by a luncheon at the art center. Pictured are Kinari & Samip’s hands, cradled by both sets of their parents’ hands, as water is poured over them to purify both the bride and groom and the ceremony location—one of the first steps in the ceremony.

As in any religion, there are many rituals performed throughout the ceremony that are loaded in meaning and tradition. I was very moved by the time and care that went into the wedding ceremony itself, which really stood out as the main event of the day. Rather than breeze through a quick 15-minute ceremony on the way to the dance floor, Kinari and Samip chose to place a lot of emphasis on their ceremony as a way of honoring their monumental transition into becoming husband and wife.

See more images from this wedding here.

See previous Picture of the Week posts here. 

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