Agnipradakshinam

(“circling the fire”) A common rite in
many modern Hindu marriage ceremonies, usually performed as part of
the saptapadi, in which the bride and
groom take seven steps to definitively
seal their marriage. The saptapadi and
the agnipradakshinam are combined so
that the bride and groom make seven
revolutions around a small fire. As the
god Agni, the fire is the divine witness to
the marriage bond between bride and
groom, a bond often symbolized by
tying the end of the groom’s turban to
the fringe of the bride’s sari. The fire is
also a sign that the celebration of marriage is a yajna, or sacrificial rite.