by Barbara Anderson Tamil brahmin wedding rituals are based on the Vedas and belong to the rich Tamil cultural heritage. They differ with its simplicity and elegance from luxurious and magnificent wedding ceremonies that take place in other regions of India. The best description of Tamil wedding you will get if you see the sacred moment when a tender and excellent couple, a bride and a groom, go to the Mandap, covered with red and gold. While they go, each of the guests prays about their happy and successful future family life.
Let’s take a deeper look at the Tamil wedding, and see what ceremonies are related to this blessed event in human life.
Tamil wedding
Nichayahthartam
It is a ceremony when the couple announces their official engagement and turns to the status of a bride and a groom. The groom’s family presents the bride’s traditional wedding saree and jewelry. The bride’s family also presents the groom’s new wedding outfit. The groom and the bride exchange rings and then a prayer names an auspicious date for the wedding. While preparation starts and the couple can send wedding cards to their relatives and friends.
Mangala Snaanam
It is a purifying ritual that takes place in the houses of the bride and the groom. At sunrise elders of families are blessing the bride and the groom with Haldi, Kumkum, and oil. After this procedure, they take a ceremonial bath to refresh themselves and relieve stress.
Beginning of the wedding ritual
Wedding ritual starts when the bride’s family greets the groom’s family at the place of the marriage or the Kalyana Mandapam (wedding hall). The bride’s mother holds in her hands a tray with sweets, rose water, sandalwood paste, and Kumkum powder. Doing this she performs traditional Arti. Also, the bride’s family gives the groom’s family refreshing drinks and all exchange garlands.
Kappukettal and Vratham
These rituals are performed by the bride and groom on their own before marriage, but they demonstrate some differences.
A Vratham for the bride means trying a Kappu, tieing sacred thread on her wrist to ward off evil spirits.
For the groom, a Vratham means searching for a blessing from Lord Indra, Soma, Chandra, and Agni.
After this ritual, it is a time for a Palikai ceremony: it is needed to mix 9 kinds of grains with curd. A result of such a mixing keeps in clay pots and then goes under the water for feeding fishes.
Brahmin wedding rituals
Now the bride and the groom are ready for the wedding ceremony that consists of several rituals:
Kashi Yatra: the groom says that he wants to turn to Kashi and become an ascetic, so the bride’s father should persuade him to stay here and marry his daughter.
Malai Mathal: the bride and the groom exchange the garlands three times as a symbol of their union. These garlands are made from flowers and threads: flowers are a sign of beauty and happiness that can lose their charm through the time, threads fix flowers, and keeps them together. Like garlands, the couple should always be together, love, and support each other in difficult times.
Onjal: the couple sits on the decorated swing and married ladies from their families offer them some bananas and milk or curd. Also, they scatter rice balls around the bride and the groom to protect them from evil powers.
Kanyadanam: the bride’s father gives the groom responsibility for his daughter and the groom, on his turn, gives the promise to take care and protect her forever. This ceremony is similar to Kanyadan in the North wedding. It is a very heartwarming moment when the bride sits on her father’s lap like a playing child and father should hand over his dear little daughter. Yes, we are always little children for our parents.
Mangalacharanam: the groom ties mangalsutra or thaali on the bride’s neck and puts Kumkum on her hair parting.
Saptapadi: the couple takes 7 steps in their new life and when they are doing this, the priest declares 7 vows, each step has its own meaning.
Prathikshanam: the bride and the groom turn around the sacred fire 3 times. On the first round, the bride with the help of the groom puts her foot down to the grindstone near the sacred fire. The groom holds her right toe and puts a silver ring on it. On the second round, he does the same with her left toe. They do the third round as official husband and wife. This ritual symbolizes that their marriage will be as strong as this rock. Also, it means that bride enters her new home and new life.
All these rituals make a Tamil wedding special and unique. Such rituals are common for all Tamil weddings but in the case of Tamil brahmin wedding, they take place early in the morning.
