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ORDER OF
THE HOLY MATRIMONY
According to the
Mar Thoma Syrian Christian Rite
Part II
CROWNING
CEREMONY
SERVICE OF THE HOLY
MATRIMONY
| The actual marriage ceremony is called
the crowning ceremony. This declares the taking up of the Church
to be His wife into glory so that the Church may reign with
Jesus. As a part of the church and the image of the coming reign
of Christ and Church on the earth, a crown is placed on the head
of the bridegroom and the bride. Most Eastern churches places a
real crown. In the Malabar Church the crown is replaced by a
chain with a cross, symbolizing that this union is a union of
suffering with Christ that we may reign with Him when He appears |
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Congregation Stands
P. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
C. Shower upon us, weak and sinful as we are, your blessings and
mercies in this world and in the world to come, now and for ever.
Amen
O Lord god, make us worthy of the everlasting marriage feast and
the imperishable bridal chamber. Invite us also to your eternal joys
with those invited to the fellowship of that wedding feast. Grant
that together with them and among them we may praise you, Father,
son and the Holy spirit, now and fore ever.
C. Amen As the priest bless the bride and the
bridegroom, they receive the blessing with the sign of the cross. +
P. May God, who blessed the righteous of Old + bless these
servants with his abundant graces.
C. God have mercy on us.
P. May God, who blessed Adam and Eve, + bless these servants with
his abundant grace.
.. ............... ..........Abraham And
Sarah..........................
..............................Isaac and
Rebecca...........................
.................. . . ......Jacob and
Rachel...........................
...............................Joseph in
Egypt............................
P. Lord, exalt with the plentitude of your gifts these your
servants who have been united together, and grant them joy. Fill
them with joy in your divine status. Grant. O. Lord, Father, Son and
the Holy Spirit, that they sing praises to you in joy and gladness,
and rejoice eternally in your presence.
C. Amen.
Psalms 21:1-3
The King shall rejoice in your strength O Lord. He
shall exult in your salvation. For you came to meet Him with the
blessings of success and placed a crown of gold upon His head.
P. Chant (Jathyin Puthree)
Holy Church daughter of the Gentiles, how beautiful you are. Solomon
sang of you thus: Your lips drip with honey and the smell of your
garments is like perfume of roses in the summer. O Church, you are
beautiful and without blemish. The Messiah, the King, defends you
because you adore his Cross.
P. Glory be to the Father, Son and to the Holy Spirit
C. As it was in the beginning, it is now and shall be forever.
P. O daughter of the Gentiles, how beautiful you are! You are
like the sun which gives light to the whole world. The sign of the
cross is on your forehead. With your holy mouth you sing praises.
Your lips are stained with the Blood of the Son of God. Day and
night your children praise him.
P. O Lord, who was invited to the marriage feast at Canaa and
turned water into good wine, and who is the true Bridegroom and
righteous, and who love mankind and who graciously accepts our
prayers, bless these your servants who had bowed their heads before
your throne of Grace.
Overshadow them with Your right hand of blessing. Make us happy
in Your heavenly bridal chamber. Make us worthy of the marriage
feast promised to Your saints who love You and keep Your
commandments. Make us worthy to stand at Your right hand along with
them, to see your grace and to offer praise and glory to you for
ever more.
C. Amen
Reading of the Epistle: Ephesians 5: 20-28
Deacon. Brethren, Let us stand in silence and with reverence and
listen to the proclamation of the living Word of God from the Gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
P. Peace be with you
C. May the Lord make us worthy to listen to his Word.
P. The Holy gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which proclaims life
and salvation to the world, as recorded by Apostle Mathew.
C. Blessed is he that has come and will come again. Praise to the
Father who sent him for our salvation. May his blessings be ever
upon us.
P. In the days of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, God
incarnate of the Blessed Virgin, he taught in this manner.
C. So we believe and affirm.
Here the Priest
joins
the right hand of
the bride and the groom
together.
And the Gospel is read over the union
Reading of the Gospel Mathew
19:1-6
P. Peace be with you.
C. And with your spirit.
Congregation may be seated
Blessing of the
Crown
These crowns and the heads that are crowned are blessed and
perfected in the name of the Father + ,of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit +.
C. Amen
Here The priest
ceremoniously
crowns
the bride groom
with the chain and cross
{This is repeated three times over
the bridegroom's head}
P. A crown is coming down from the heavens in the hand of our
Lord. Worthy is the crown to be placed on the head of the bridegroom
by the priest.
C: O Lord of Mercy, bless the bridegroom and the bride in their
bridal chambers. O Lord, stretch out your right hand full of
blessings and bless this bridegroom and the bride and the crowns
placed on their heads.
May this bridegroom and the bride, with their companions, be
blessed with the blessings that you bestowed upon Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.
O Lord, stretch out your right hand and bless this couple, who
bow their heads before you.
O Lord open the doors of Your bountiful treasury which is filled
with immeasurable wealth, and send Your blessing of perfection to
this bridegroom and the bride.
O Lord protect them with Your mighty right hand and make them
walk in paths of righteousness according to thy will.
O Lord keep them under the shadow of your blessing, so that they
may complete their lives in purity and holiness
Then the Priest
blesses the bridegroom thus:
P. Let our Lord crown you with the crown of righteousness
Let our Lord adorn you with imperishable adornments.
He will equip you with the weapons that shall never be defeated
against the enemies.
C. Amen
Now the Priest
crowns the Bride
{This is
repeated three times over the bridegroom's head}
A crown is coming down from the heavens in the hand of our Lord.
Worthy is the crown to be placed on the head of the bride by the
priest.
C: O Lord of Mercy, bless the bridegroom and the bride in their
bridal chambers. O Lord, stretch out your right hand full of
blessings and bless this bridegroom and the bride and the crowns
that are placed on their heads.
O eternal bridegroom, whose bridal chamber remains for ever, we
pray that you come to us soon and take us with you so that we may
have joy with you for ever.
Let our Lord Jesus make for us a crown which is more excellent
than the flowers of the garden.
Let our Lord Jesus bless your bridal bed with
purity joy. From you will come forth rulers who rule righteously and
men and women of righteousness and holiness and perfection.
The Priest places
the crown
on the bride's head
and blesses her saying:
May the Lord crown you with the crown of righteousness and with
desirable adornment. May you rejoice all your life offering praise
to the Father, the Son and to the Holy spirit.
C. Amen
Then the priest
blesses the bride and says,
P. May the Lord, who delights in human life, be pleased with your
lives and bless your union.
May Christ our heavenly bridegroom seal your marriage with the
true seal of his love.
As Christ rejoices in his Church may you rejoice in each other.
May the right hand of blessing be on you and protect you from all
troubles.
May the angel of peace be with you and keep you from all
jealousies that lead to destruction.
May he take away all sorrows from you and fill you with joy in
each other.
As Abraham rejoiced in Isaac and Isaac in Jacob and Jacob in
Joseph, may the Lord bless you with righteous children so that you
may rejoice in them.
May the blessings that god gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dwell
with you.
May God grant the dew from heaven and all the good things that
the earth produces.
May the blessing by which Jacob blessed his on Joseph be upon
you.
May the blessings promised to those who love the Lord and please
his holy will be upon you and upon the crowns placed on your heads
by the priests hands. Lord's name has been invoked upon you.
May God enrich you with all prosperity, wealth and blessings.
May you also inherit the Kingdom of Heaven like the thief on the
cross.
May the most high God who descended on Mount Sinai to make a
covenant with the bride he called out of Egypt, bless you and this
congregation.
Let us offer praise to the Lord of Heaven and earth, now and for
ever more.
C. Amen
While Minnu is tied
and
the Mantra Kodi (Wedding Saree)
the following chant or other music
may be sung.
| Minnu is a small tali in the form of a
small gold leaf on which a cross is made with seven tiny gold
balls. Traditionally the tali is the symbol worn by all married
women. Tali is therefore taken from the local communal practices
and sanctified as a Christian symbol. This sign is worn by the
wife all through her life even unto the grave emphasizing the
permanency of the marriage till death.
It is traditionally strung on a simple
thread of seven strands taken from the wedding sari by the
brother-in-law of the groom or a close relative
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| The Manthra Kodi is also taken from
the local communal custom of marriage called Pudava Koda.
Pudava means cloth and Koda (kodukkal means giving) This
symbolizes a promise of provision and protection by the
husband. In the local Hindu culture the marriage is called
Pudava Koda. In the Malankara Christian tradition it is no
more called Pudava Koda. There is no giving. The husband
covers the bride's head with the Kodi (which means new cloth)
symbolizing the bringing in of the bride into his tent. This
is the traditional Hebrew custom. The bride becomes his wife.
This special cloth is worn by the bride on special occasions
throughout her life. If it remains till her death, it is used
to cover her body. Soon after
the Pudava, the sister who stood behind her will retreat and
one of the married sisters of the groom or one of the close
relatives will come forward and take the wife into their
family. Manthra means
mystical. Evidently the local custom was transformed within
the Christian concept of mystical union of man and wife which
is missing in the Hindu concept.
Syrian Christian women used to wear the
mundu, chatta and neryathu. This traditional dress is now
being replaced by the Indian Saree. Manthra Kodi is currently
not a neryathu but a Saree. This developed after the Indian
Independence when the Syrian Christians were involved in the
nation building.
As the minnu is tied, the Kochamma
who stood beside the bride (bridesmaid?) , who represented the
family of the bride retreats from her position and one of the
Kochammas of the Groom, representing the groom's family takes
her stand beside the bride. This is an announcement that the
bride now belongs to the family of the Bridegroom.. |
You are my husband, O Glorious One who established the Garden of
Eden, and caused the pleasant breeze to blow on me. Lord, I am the
bride, Your wife betrothed in Your name. O bridegroom of truth and
righteousness, have mercy upon me, for I take my refuge in You
alone. My dowry you have paid with your Cross. You set me free by
Your suffering, and have prepared a bridal chamber for me on high.
You have called me to be Yours. Thieves attacked me and sought to
spoil me of m y beauty, but by your love, my lover came then and
freed me from slavery.
HOOTHAMA
(Conclusion)
Exhortation to the
Congregation
P. Dearly beloved, we have a custom received from our Holy
Fathers and entrusted to us by our revered predecessors of exhorting
the believers as we are assembled in this house of God. We must
firmly bid this couple Preethy and Charley standing before us that
they should be diligent in truth and justice and zealous in all good
works.
Now our children,
remember that you stand before the Altar of God,
before the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Holy Table,
before the Cross,
before the Holy Gospel,
before the congregation of saints,
and in the presence of God
who knows the thoughts of every human heart.
From this time onwards we have united you to each other.
May God mercy and blessing be upon the priests, the
deacons, the believers, the bride and the bride groom, the guests
and on the hosts. May the right hand of our Lord Jesus Christ be
upon us all for ever.
Exhortation to the
Congregation.
Once again believers, know that this commandment is to you all
also,
that each husband should always keep in mind
the right relationship he owes to his wife.
Husbands must love and cherish their wife.
You must clothe her even if you have to go naked, feed her even if
you have to go hungry, and give her drink even when you are thirsty.
Wives must also behave towards their husbands in the same manner and
honor him accordingly.
You must treat your husbands with love and affection in all things.
Exhortation to
Bride and the Groom
God has united you as husband and wife from this day.
You are no longer two but one.
Christian family life is a great privilege and a big responsibility.
So love one another,
respect each other,
be tolerant,
be constant in family prayer,
be diligent in studying the word of God,
practice charity and hospitality,
do always what is noble in the sight of all,
be active participants in corporate worship
and regular partakers of Holy Communion.
Remember that you are stewards of God
in your wealth, your time and talents.
Therefore, set apart a portion of your income
for the needy and the poor and for the mission of the Church.
When you are blessed with children nurture them in the love of God.
May God help you to rejoice in such a blessed Christian family life.
Benediction
You are blessed by the Lord who created heaven and the earth. May
the Lord bless you and sanctify you all those who have participated
in this divine service. May (+) God, the Father, son and the Holy
Spirit, hear and accept our weak and inadequate prayers before his
throne of Grace.
C. Amen
Here ends the
Marriage Ceremony.
The Bride and the
Groom signs the Church Register as
man and wife.
The bride and the
groom will walk out through the aisle to the front porch of the
Church
followed by the
immediate family.
The Assembly may now
go out of the Church
At the front porch
of the Church
the newly married
will be garlanded by the children in the family.
The congregation
proceeds to the festival hall
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