A Brahmin priest performing during the Arti cermeony in Varanasi, India. The arti is one of the most important and popular ceremonies of the Hindu faith. It is a prayerful ceremony performed in extolled greeting and thanksgiving of the Deities. The arti ceremony is said to have descended from the ancient Vedic concept of fire rituals, or homa. The term ‘arti’ also refers to the prayer sung in praise of the Deity while the wicks are waved.