There are no words that can effectively define the sensitive and strong relationship that a father shares with his daughter. Kanyadaan is an Indian wedding ritual that deals with the emotions comprising this very relationship.
The Indian wedding ceremony comprises a sequence of rituals but kanyadaan is considered to be the most valued and emotional of all. Daan meaning donation or to give. Kanyadaan is the greatest donation anyone can ever make, for a girl is the most prized possession of her father. Only a father can understand the pain of parting with his darling daughter. Kanyadaan means ‘giving away the girl’ in marriage to the groom. It is a ritual which symbolizes the consent of the bride’s parents and the groom before continuing through the ceremony. It is this very ceremony that binds two people into a bond forever.
It is said that the father of the girl has to give her away so that she can receive love, respect and prosperity in her future life. The bride’s father takes her right hand and places it in the right hand of the groom, as a request to him to accept his daughter as his partner. This is also known as ‘hastmelaap’ or joining of the hands. This being done, the bride’s mother pours holy water on the girl’s hands which going through her fingers ultimately flows into the groom’s hand which signifies the commencement of a pure bond between the bride and the groom. Mantras are chanted all throughout the process of the ritual.
The ritual of Kanyadaan has a history and religious perspective associated with it. The groom is thought of as a form of Lord Vishnu and the bride represents the Goddess Laxmi. The parents of the bride and groom thus, are facilitating the merger of the gods while everybody else is mere witness to the ceremony. Kanyadaan also signifies the blessings of the bride’s parents to the groom as a gift of wealth and prosperity. The end of the ceremony depicts the bride finally given over to the care of the groom.
Kanyadaan portrays the event of a father letting go of his daughter. Only a father can realize how heavy this must be for a father. The meaning of kanyadaan is only symbolic as no parent’s love can cease for their child after her wedding. The ritual possesses immense emotional value as there is nothing more precious to a father than his beloved daughter.