And I got so caught up with relating my impressions of Manil Suri's book, that I forgot to comment on an aspect of Hindu weddings detailed in his book that particularly struck me in the context of my blog title as being another multiple circling of significance:
In a Hindu wedding, the central ritual of the ceremony is the circling seven times of the consecrated fire by bride and groom to sanctify the marriage - which Hindus see as a sacred relationship between souls that lasts beyond life.
The details of the ritual vary in different parts of India. The bride and groom may or may not be symbolically tied together by their wedding sashes; the bride may first lead the groom around the sacred fire one to three times before the groom in turn leads the bride around the fire for the remainder of the seven circlings. Even the specific prayers or blessings vary with local traditions.
But in all cases everywhere, it is a constant that they circle the fire seven times. Why seven circles?
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