The milestones in a person’s life are ones that are eternally treasured and kept very close to their heart. People choose to celebrate these milestones differently, either through communal prayer or a large celebration. Religions, in this matter, differ from one another in countless manners, including specific prayers, beliefs about God or ritual practices. An individual can go through specific stages within their life such as birth, marriage, and death, allowing them to be a part of their faith’s religious practices. The purpose of this essay is to prove the differences of the process through which these rituals are performed both in Christianity and Hinduism while, displaying the correlation behind their purpose and reasoning. The birth …show more content…
No matter which religion one practices, the purpose behind marriage is always to bond the couple and their families in the name of God. Marriage, in both religions, is a public declaration of each other’s love and commitment to remain faithful to one another. Christian weddings usually take place in a chapel with friends and families present, and have a preset order of how the wedding is going to be performed. At the start of the wedding the priest welcomes everyone by reading out Christians beliefs in marriage, and the couple then make their promises in front of God by reading their vows to one another. The couple exchange wedding rings and prayers are recited, including readings from the Bible which conclude the wedding (Marriage and Weddings, 2009). Christian weddings are very short when compared to the extravagant Hindu weddings. Hindu weddings take place over several days involving continuous moments of celebration and prayer. On the wedding day, the bride and groom are not allowed see each other until the ceremony. At the fire pit, where the wedding happens, the bride and groom sit beside each other performing the rituals that are being guided by the Pandit. The scarf of the groom and the veil of the bride are tied together and they both walk around the fire pit seven times. This symbolizes the seven lifetimes that they will remain together. The groom puts a mangalsutra, a black beaded necklace, on the bride along with red coloured tilak on her forehead. The wedding is completed through the prayers recited by the Pandit (Social Duty and Rites of Passage,