The parties then resume their seats and a short hymn is sung. This is followed by a brief speech addressed particularly to the couple, explaining the significance and obligation of the marriage. The couple are then asked to honour their vows by bowing together before Guru Granth Sahib. Then the bride’s father places one end of pink or saffron-coloured scarf in the grooms hand, passing it over the shoulder and placing the other end in the bride’s hand.

Thus joined, the two will take the vows. This is followed by a short hymn. Guru Granth Sahib is now opened and the first verse of Lavan is read from it. The same verse is then sung by the musicians while the couple slowly encircle Guru Granth Sahib. The groom leads in a clock-wise direction and the bride, holding the scarf, follows as nearly as possible in step. When the couple reaches the front of Guru Granth Sahib, they both bow together and take their respective seats. The same protocol is repeated for the remainder three verses.

The 4 verses of Lavan explain the four stages of love and married life.

• The first verse emphasises the performance of duty to the family and the community.
• The second verse refers to the stage of yearning and love for each other.
• The third verse refers to the stage of detachment or Virag.
• The fourth verse refers to the final stage of harmony and union in married life during which human love blends into the love for God.

Lavan is a Sanskrit word literally meaning ‘break away’, i.e. the bride breaking away from her parents’ home. Based on a concept depicted in Lavan, the Sikh marriage is not merely a physical and legal contract but is a sacrament, a holy union between two souls, where physically they appear as two individual bodies but in fact are united as one.

Sikh marriages are usually arranged. However, the word ‘arranged’ is not always properly interpreted by people in some societies. An arranged marriage does not mean forcing a boy or a girl into a wedlock of parents’ choice only. It is agreeing to marriage proposed by mutual discussion between the boy or the girl on one side and his or her parents and relatives on the other. This is in fact selecting the right partner from a number of choices or proposals. Several criteria are usually adopted before making a marriage proposal. Most important are the boy and girl themselves who show their willingness only after taking into account, personality, family background, educational standing and physical appearance of the proposed partner. Generally, relatives or close family friends suggest a suitable match to the family. The boy and girl then get to know each other to convey their consent to their parents. The Sikh marriage is monogamous. In the case of broken marriage, divorce is not possible according to the Sikh religious tradition. The couple can, however, obtain a divorce under the Civil law of the land. Marriage, in Sikhism, is regarded as a sacred bond in attaining worldly and spiritual joy. About the ideal marriage, the Guru says: “They are not husband and wife who only have physical contact; rather they are wife and husband who have one spirit in two bodies.” The Sikh marriage ceremony is called Anand Karaj meaning ‘ceremony of bliss’.