Indian wedding glossary · Wedding day rituals
What is Saptapadi?
Also written: Seven steps, सप्तपदी
Saptapadi means seven steps: the bride and groom take seven steps together near the sacred fire, each step with a promise, and in many traditions this is the rite that completes the marriage.
- Who keeps it
- Hindu families across India.
- When
- After the kanyadaan and the fire rituals, before sindoor and mangalsutra in many weddings.
About Saptapadi
What should you know about Saptapadi?
In some regions the seven steps are taken around the fire as the pheras; in many Marathi and South Indian weddings they are seven steps taken side by side, often with the bride's toe touching a small mound of rice for each step.
Under section 7(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, where the rites include saptapadi, the marriage becomes complete and binding when the seventh step is taken.
In the order of functions
Where does Saptapadi come in an Indian wedding?
After the kanyadaan and the fire rituals, before sindoor and mangalsutra in many weddings.
- Before the weddingFixing the match, the engagement, the date and the card.
- The functionsPujas, haldi, mehndi, sangeet and the family days before the wedding.
- Wedding day ritualsFrom the baraat to the pheras, nikah and anand karaj.
- After the weddingVidaai, the new home, the reception and the first visits.
Planning your own days? The free wedding function order planner puts your functions in a sensible order with dates.
On the card
What do families write on the invitation for Saptapadi?
Vivah sanskar (saptapadi) at 12:35 pm, Sunday, 15 February.
Related words
Words that go with Saptapadi
- Pheras
Pheras are the rounds the bride and groom take around the sacred fire, tied together, with a vow made in each round; in most North Indian weddings there are seven.
- Havan
A havan is the sacred fire lit in the centre of the mandap; in a Hindu wedding Agni, the fire, is the divine witness to the vows, and the couple make offerings into it.
- Antarpat
Antarpat is the silk cloth held between the bride and groom in a Marathi wedding while the mangalashtak verses are sung, lowered at the exact muhurat so they see each other.
- Lajja homam
Lajja homam is the ritual where the bride's brother pours puffed rice into her hands and she offers it into the sacred fire with the groom, praying for her husband's long life and the family's prosperity.
- Thali
In South Indian weddings the thali, or mangalyam, is the sacred pendant on a yellow thread or gold chain that the groom ties around the bride's neck at the muhurtham.
Questions
Saptapadi, answered
What is Saptapadi?
Saptapadi means seven steps: the bride and groom take seven steps together near the sacred fire, each step with a promise, and in many traditions this is the rite that completes the marriage.
Which families celebrate Saptapadi?
Hindu families across India.
When does Saptapadi happen in the order of wedding functions?
After the kanyadaan and the fire rituals, before sindoor and mangalsutra in many weddings.
What do families write on the invitation for Saptapadi?
Vivah sanskar (saptapadi) at 12:35 pm, Sunday, 15 February.
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