All auspicious beginnings are marked by a havan, as such it also forms an integral and indispensable part of marriage rituals. The pheras and the saptapadi are taken around the havan kund. The havan, or the sacred fire, is symbolic of Agni – the Fire God, who represents Shakti (the universal power). Vedic texts pronounce fire as ‘the mouth of all pujas’. It is through fire that our prayers are said to reach God. The offerings are made to the chants of shlokas which invariably end with a ‘swahaa’. ‘Swa’ – means self and ‘ha’ means ahamkaar or ego. Thus by chanting ‘swahaa’ we are offering our ego to be destroyed by the Fire God.