BUDDHIST MARRIAGES

The Buddhist views on marriage are very liberal.In Buddhism, marriage is considered as personal and individual concern, and not as a religious duty. Buddhism does not compel a person to be married. It does not force somebody to remain as a bachelor. Neither it wants one to lead a life of total chastity. It is not laid down anywhere that Buddhists must produce children or regulate the number of children that they produce. Buddhism allows each individual the freedom to decide for himself all the issues pertaining to marriage. It might be asked why Buddhist monks do not marry, since there are no laws for or against marriage.The reason is obviously that to be of service to mankind, the monks have chosen a way of life which includes celibacy. The Buddhist bride has this dress made of brocade called Bhaku. The dress resembles a sarong, only it has to be full length.Bride wears it with a sleeved blouse, Hanju. The hanju is usually made of Chinese silk called khichen.She also wears aspecial coat and a scarf.Some unusual jewellery s also worn by her, those made of large precious and semi-precious stones for example turquoise, coral, pearl, etc.These jewellery would be worn around the neck and also on the forehead by traditional family girls.The brides also wore special shoes and hat in the earlier days but this is not in fashion these days. Among the Buddhists either the parents or the boy choose his prospective bride. Once it is decided that the you want to marry this particular girl, a family friend would usually go to the girl's house. He would carry a bottle of whisky and a white silk scarf called khada to offer. It is meant to see whether they give a nod to the proposal. This type of visit is usually known as Khachang.In case the family agree, the next step after Khachang is a meeting between the two families. In such a meeting, the members of both the families compare kikas. They set a good date on which the engagement can take place.