Why are there seven pherās, and why does the bride lead in some of them?

the circling of Agni makes the fire the divine witness; seven is a sacred number of completeness, and who leads varies by custom.

In the Vedic wedding, Agni is the witness and messenger to the gods, so the couple walk around the fire (agni-pradakṣiṇā or maṅgala-phere) while mantras are recited. Seven echoes the seven ṛṣis, seven worlds, seven notes and seven steps of saptapadī, and is felt to make the bond complete for “seven lifetimes”.

Customs differ. In many North Indian weddings there are seven pherās, with the bride leading the first four (or three) and the groom the rest; some explain that she leads in dharma, artha, kāma and the home, and he in protecting it. In several Vedic and South Indian forms there are only three or four rounds of the fire, and the seven steps (saptapadī) are taken separately — the saptapadī is what the texts treat as completing the marriage.

So if your family does four pherās and seven steps, or seven pherās including the steps, both are correct traditions.

Agni is the sākṣī (witness) of the marriage · Source: Gṛhya Sūtras; regional custom

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