Marriage ceremonies in various parts of India include the groom riding a mare (a female horse). Rama utilized a horse for "Ashwamegh-Yagya," according to Ramayan. Capturing the horse meant accepting the challenge and refusing to submit since the horse represented Ayodhya's dignity and honor. Riding a mare also represents that the husband-to-be is equal to or greater than the wife-to-be.
In some regions of India, including Northern India, Western India, and Eastern India, it is traditional for the bride to ride away from her home toward her husband's house on her wedding day. This tradition still exists in many parts of India today.
In South India, the bride travels with her father-in-law to meet her husband's family. The bride wears expensive clothes and makes as much noise as possible so that everyone will know how rich she is. After arriving at the meeting place, the bride is taken by car or bus to her new home where she will live with her in-laws.
Female horses are used in Hindu marriages because they represent the couple's equality and honor. The groom should not feel inferior to the bride; therefore, he shows his equality by defeating her in a contest of skills. Also, the mare represents the bride's family since she is traveling to meet her future husband.
While the use of a mare rather than a horse shows the groom's desire to domesticate the wife and ride her for the rest of their married life, the use of a mare rather than a horse suggests the groom's intention to domesticate the wife and ride her for the rest of their married life. This is because it is easier to keep a mare than it is to train a horse. A mare will always return to her home farm, while a horse may run away if you don't feed him or take him to the stable every day.
A mare is also less expensive than a horse. If the groom can afford only a mare instead of a horse, this would be an indication that he intends to keep his wife on the farm and not send her away to a riding academy like many young men did back then.
In ancient Greece, the groom would give the bride-to-be a bag of oats or some other form of grain before leaving on his wedding night. This was done to ensure that she had food until he returned. In some cultures, such as that of India, the groom gives the bride money or jewelry as a promise that he will care for her.
These days in Western countries, the act of marrying someone else other than your brother means that you should probably get permission from your father first. He probably wants to make sure that you're not trying to marry his daughter without his consent.
Authors Anders Andren, Kristina Jennbert, and Catharina Raudvere describe the employment of the horse as a divinatory tool by early Western Slavic tribes in their book Old Norse Religion in Long-Term Perspectives. Hippomancy was a process that entailed rearing sacred horses to be used as oracles. The most famous example of this practice is probably that of the mare of Phoebus, who according to myth lived at the mouth of the Danube River. If it was favorable for travelers to arrive there, then it was assumed that war would break out between Rome and Parthia. If not, then peace prevailed between those two nations. This kind of prophecy was very popular among ancient Europeans.
In addition to hippomancy, horses were used in other forms of divination such as chiromancy (reading the future in the hand marks on a horse's body) and pyromancy (foretelling fire). These practices are described in more detail by authors Andren, Jennbert, and Raudvere in their book.
Horses also played an important role in ceremonial rituals designed to secure good crops and successful battles. For example, they would be sacrified during times of famine or war to seek guidance from the gods on how to resolve these issues.
Finally, horses were integral parts of many myths about the origin of people and civilizations.
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