3 Russian couples marry following Hindu customs in Haridwar

Impressed by Indian culture, three Russian couples who had come to India on a pilgrimage got married as per Hindu customs. They danced and participated enthusiastically in the wedding rituals.

Haridwar: Three Russian nationals married by following the Hindu wedding rituals at the Akhand Paramdham Ashram in Haridwar.

A group of 50 Russians had come to Haridwar on a pilgrimage. They liked the Indian culture and traditions so much that three of the couples decided to get married here. They followed the rituals and customs of the Indian culture during the wedding ceremony.

The Russian group danced enthusiastically on Hindi songs amid beating of drums and Uttarakhandi musical instruments at the wedding. The wedding ceremony began with the procession of the three brides. The three couples sought blessings from Lord Shiva at the Shiva temple located at the ashram.

After taking the blessings of Akhand Paramdham president Swami Parmanand Giri Maharaj, they garlanded each other. Then, they took seven rounds around the sacred fire lit for the purpose amidst the Vedic mantras, which is one of the most significant feature of Hindu wedding.

Swami Parmanand Giri, successor of Mahant Parmanand Giri said that being bored with the western culture, the Russian nationals decided to get married as per the Indian culture. After the marriage, they vowed to live with each other for seven births.

Apart from the newly wed couples, the Russian nationals enjoyed a lot participating in the wedding rituals. The grooms wore sherwanis while the brides were dressed in lehengas. A Russian national said that earlier many Russians had got married following Indian customs and are happily married even after several years.

"Their happiness could be determined from the manner in which the couples danced to the tune of Hindi songs and showered currency notes when the groom was coming to take the bride. The groom's friend said that his friend was so impressed by the Indian culture that he decided to get married as per the customs of this country," Swami Parmanand Giri said.