A Greek woman called Penelope married an Indian man in a Hindu wedding, celebrating a fusion of cultures during Maha Kumbh 2025, a major Hindu religious festival and pilgrimage, recognized as the largest gathering of people in the world.
Penelope from Greece and Siddharth from India decided to tie the knot during the religious congregation in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
Prayagraj: India’s Siddharth marries Penelope from Greece with Vedic rituals during Maha Kumbh
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Siddharth told ANI news agency that they had decided to perform the marriage in the “most authentic manner” and Prayagraj currently is the best place in the “whole universe” for its divine nature.
“We are very grateful just to get married to each other, she is really special…When we decided on it, we wanted to do it in the most authentic manner which would be simple yet divine, and for that, we chose Prayagraj, Maha Kumbh, this specific date (January 26), Siddharth told ANI.
Greek woman opens up about her Hindu wedding
Penelope opened up on her life’s new chapter and her embracing of a new culture, and called her experience “magical beyond words”.
She said she had never attended an Indian wedding but experienced one herself being the bride.
“I think what has happened today is something magical beyond words and it is only when I see some of the pictures that I realize we were experiencing divine energy. I have never attended an Indian wedding, and today I was the bride so everything was new to me but at the same time very familiar. What happened was a ceremony, I was married with a more spiritual way, according to Vedic scriptures, and it was amazing,” Penelope told ANI.
Dilemma: Wedding in Greece or India
When Siddharth asked Penelope whether they should marry in India or in Greece, she chose the former option. She believes their experience was more “divine” and “spiritual” as compared to many others who just use weddings as an opportunity to party and drink.
“He asked me where would like to get married, Greece or India, and I am really glad that I said I want to do it in India. It was very nice to see a different perspective, a spiritual way,” she said.
Stating that she was earlier associated with Buddhism, the bride said she realized that “everything comes from ‘Sanatan Dharma’.”
“For me it is a way to have a meaningful, happy life, and be able to go beyond this circle of birth and rebirth. As a person, this is what triggered me, as I was looking for a solution for the sadness of what happened in life. It was like a puzzle, that was making some sense when you put it all together. I was into Buddhism for many years and after that, I realized that everything comes from Sanatan Dharma, so I go to the source instead of somebody else speaking,” the bride added.
When asked if she would be part of the holy dip in the Sangam on January 29, she said, “Of course, I wouldn’t miss that, I already have had the opportunity, we have been here since the beginning and we are planning to stay for until everything is done, so I am looking for that opportunity and I am very glad that I am here, and my mother too.”
According to tradition, pilgrims flock to the Sangam–the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati (now extinct) rivers–to take the holy dip believed to absolve sins and grant moksha (liberation).
