SikhiWiki:Today's featured article/April 6, 2009
Anand Karaj (Punjabi: ਅਨੰਦ ਕਾਰਜ, anand kāraj) is the name given to the Sikh wedding ceremony, literally translated as "Blissful Event".
Sikhs regard marriage as a sacred bond of mutual dependence between a man and a woman; a true partnership of equals in marriage is made between those who are united in spirit as well as in mind and body.
Marriage is regarded as a strong lifetime bond between the bride and groom and and a union between both the families of the bride and groom.
Based on the concept depicted in Laava, the Sikh marriage is not merely a physical and legal contract but is intended to be a fusion of the souls; a holy union between two souls, where physically they appear as two individual bodies but in fact are united as one both spiritually and in thinking. The couple must feel and think alike and both must identify with the other, i.e. they need to become "Ek Jot Doe Murti" meaning "one spirit in two bodies".
The Laava, or four stanzas, are read and then sung during the ceremony to formalize and sanctify the marriage. .....More
