PARUPPU THENGA

Why Paruppu Thenga is used for marriage or any auspicious function?

Upnayanam, Marriages, Seemantham are happy occasions, calling for sweet celebrations, as there are landmarks in one’s life. Every one of these events starts with worship of the Paruppu Thenga.

This is interpreted as an invocation to the ancestors for blessings. Paruppu Thenga represents the continuation and propagation of the family tree… a symbol of fertility and happiness.

Paruppu Thenga is prepared according the requirements in Boondi, Manoharam and Cashew nuts for marriages.

WEDDING BELLS

Traditional Indian weddings always relate to vitality and grandeur. Every thriving ethnic group in India observes a set of time-tested wedding customs and traditions. Now we are presenting five types of traditional weddings.

TAMIL WEDDING

A typical Tamil Brahmin wedding involves many of prescribed practices and stretches for four long days. In orthodox families, during “Janavasam”, a majestic male elephant garlands and welcomes the boy. Another extension of the formality is to wash his legs and perform “Padha Pooja” before the Kanyadhaan. The wedding day commences with the “Kaasi Yatra” when the boy attired in a saintly garb goes on a pilgrimage, The bride’s father intercepts his tour and requests him to accept the arrangement, handing over a couple of ripe coconuts. The boy takes vows during “Sapthapadhi” taking his wife around the holy fire. Holding her toe, he then guides the bride along seven steps and shows her the blessed star Arundhathi.

BRAHMIN BELIEF: According to Tamil custom, every bridegroom is considered regal. “Anna” is the honorific used by the Brahmin wives to address their husbands.


MADHWA WEDDING

Except a few add-ons, events and practices in Madhwa marriage are similar in those followed in a Tamil Wedding. The Madhwas’ wedding ceremony begins with a prayer offered by the parents of the bride and bridegroom to the “Pithru” or the ancestry. “Kanganadharanam” is the event that ceremoniously joins the couple. A long string of thread that is consecrated with holy chanting and smeared with turmeric is wound around the wedding couple in three even tiers. This thread is then cut and tied around the hands of the bride and the bridegroom. After the wedding ceremony is over, it is donated too the younger members of the family.

MADHWA SPECIAL; All brides and bridegrooms are considered as Lakshmi and Narayana and there is a traditional wedding song considered auspicious and sung by the Madhwas. The song is a form of prayer offered to increase the lifetime of the couple
.

TELEGU WEDDING

The Telugu wedding usually takes place in the evening at the bride’s ancestral home. The bride steps into the matrimonial relationship only after performing “Gauri Pooja”. As per their tradition, the wedding costume is not grand. A simple cotton fabric, exclusively dyed using natural colour is used for the “Muhurtham”.

TELEUGU CUSTOM: The bride is termed as, “Ardhangini” meaning the better half of the husband. The bridegroom wears a “Thalappa” during Muhurtham.


TULU BUNTS’ WEDDING

The Bunts’ wedding is relatively simple with fewer rituals. During the olden days, the “Gandharva Vivaham” was in vogue; as soon as garlands were exchanged between the couple, the wedding got over. The contemporary version has accepted few additions. Escorted by her parental aunt, the bride enters the wedding hall after observing “Thulasi Pooja”. Then, settled in a decorated seat, she accepts the “V” shaped wedding ring, ornaments and assorted gifts. Dressed in formal attire with a “Petas” or turban, the bride’s parents pour water on a new gold coin placed in a plate and give away their daughter.

BUNT SENTIMENT: Unlike other cultural group, the Bunts’ brides always belong to their parents’ family even after wedding.

GUJARATI WEDDING

A Gujarati wedding is fun filled and amusing. The rituals try to facilitate a comfortable feeling between the couple and their respective in-laws. The main event is the “Hastha Milap” during which the bride’s sari is knotted with the bridegroom’s scarf and both go around the ‘pheras’ or the holy fire seven times.

The Gujju touch: Women have prime importance in the Gujarat tradition. The mother-in-law welcomes her son-in-law by playfully pinching his nose.

Article Courtesy: From different matrimonial web sites.

A GLITTERING TRADITION

Jewellery can never go out of style for Indian weddings.

Jewellery is an important part of a woman’s trousseau. Mothers start collecting individual pieces and whole sets to give to their daughters at the time of their marriage. In times gone by, a woman’s jewellery represented her cache of liquid assets and in turn she would divide her jewels among her daughters when they got married.

Traditional Indian jewellery was inspired by nature and recurring motifs included flowers and animals and designs taken from geometrical rangolis. The popular closed cutting was preferred to make the jewellery more durable and safe for the precious stones. Plenty of Tamils from Burma brought in the uncut rubies the ‘cabochon’ and the kemp has been an integral part of South Indian jewellery.

The diamond earrings have always been considered an integral part of a bride’s trousseau. The common pieces of a bride’s jewellery used to be Rakodi, hair ornament, the waist belt, Oddiyanam, the dangling umbrella shaped Jimikis and the adiggai, choker coupled with the heavy haaram like kasu malai, maangai maalai etc. Today, modern girls shun heavy, chunky jewellery and settle for fashionable jewellery. They want to be stylist and match jewels to outfits, and their choice is light, filigree chockers in both gold and diamonds. Rubies and emeralds too are popular.

The older generations’ insistence for ‘dosham’ free stones has also fallen by the wayside. Diamonds from 2 cents to 9 cents are used liberally in open settings of diamond jewellery and the 4 C’s-colour, clarity, carat, and cut are the criteria for selection. Ready made diamond necklaces for about a lakh of rupees are available in plenty in all jewellery showrooms.

Courtesy: An article about bridal jewellery from a news paper.

IT IS ALL ABOUT LOOKING GOOD

Some tips on looking your best on your wedding day.

The entire world loves a bride and on her wedding day, any girl somehow acquires this incredible glow and sheen of beauty. The special dresses, jewels and accessories and the care taken to accentuate and highlight a girl’s best features make her look fabulous.

This grace and beauty nowadays does not come without the help of a professional beautician. The skin, hair, make up, draping of the sari all require special attention. And, all this begins a few weeks before the grand day.

Beauticians were the first to focus on bridal makeup and to open a dedicated bridal salon. They aim to keep up with the changing trends and offer total package solutions to the bride and the members of the family as far as beauty treatment and make up goes.

Bridal Skin Care

Brides opt for skin care treatments with their beauticians, consultations with hair stylist and a trial session of the total look including the draping of the outfit with their dresser. The beautician encourages the bride to come at least for three visits before the wedding day. Firstly, they evaluate her needs and start face and skin treatment so that there is time for the skin to settle down in case there are reactions etc. The next visit the bride shows her costume and accessories to beautician and they have a dry run of the hair and make up. A few days before the wedding, she has a complete session from top to toe.

Current Trends

A beautician says that the current trends for the Muhurtham is a return to the late sixties look-the tight plait, a slight bouffant in the front and venies in different colours. The heavy jadai alangaram is not opted for as the weight of the arrangement hampers the free movement of the bride. A simple hair ornament like a rakodi and kunjalam with or without a string of flowers wrapped around it is popular.  The length of the hair of most girls is not long enough to have a heavy arrangement. The brides prefer it to be simple and elegant as the focus is on the wedding sari. Youngsters want to be free to move around and interact with the guest and not stay stuck to one place.

Another beautician says that it is very interesting to work with today’s brides. They do a lot of homework before they come to a beautician; they check magazines, photos and the internet and then choose a particular look and style. If we take hair for instance, the stiff and stylized hair arrangement of a few years ago has given way to simpler styles. For the reception, many like to leave it loose with curls and wisps of hair caressing their cheeks and forehead. Another interesting thing is the return of the ring Kondai with an accent of a hair ornament.

Another intriguing aspect of the bride’s looks is the participation of the groom in the total planning and execution of the project. The modern day groom pays equal attention to his looks on his wedding day. He walks in for his own treatments for skin and hair and at the same time, he also accompanies his fiancée to advice her on  her looks. The sharing of ideas and ideals is really satisfying to watch.

Another beautician advises, the bride should pluck her eyebrows and hair waxed at least 4-5 days prior to the wedding. If she have an allergic reaction, she would have the time to cool it down. The base and foundation is kept very light natural with matte finish for the morning ceremony. The eye is lightly line with kaajal-waterproof because of the havan that can irritate her eyes and make it water. The lips are outlined with pale light shades that are in fashion-light pink, pale maroon shades and it is a big no to lip liners.

In the evening the look is glossy with shimmer for the evening. The eye make up is a generous use of eyeliner and the shadow smudged to give a natural finish for the strong video lights. For the fun functions, smoky eyes in fad shades like pink, violet, bronze as it gives the eyes a very dramatic look. A simple rule of thumb is when eyes are heavy the lips must be light.

Above all, the beauticians’ advice is to get a good night’s sleep before her wedding, even though she may be under a lot of stress She cannot afford to look dull or washed out on her wedding.. 

Courtesy: A special edition of a news paper

DID YOU KNOW SOMETHING?

• The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck.
• Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition.
• For good lick, Egyptian women pinch the bride on her wedding day.
• Henna is painted on a bride’s hands and feet to protect them from the evil eye.
• Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead of rice.
• A Finnish bride traditionally went door-to-door collecting gifts in a pillowcase, accompanied by an older married man who represented long marriage.
• The tradition of tying tin cans to the back of the newlywed’s vehicle originated long ago when items which would produce noise were tied to the back of the couple’s carriage to scare away evil spirits.

This interesting article is read and reproduced to the information of the newly weds.

KALYANA SEER BAKSHANANGAL

1.      Thirattippal

2.      Mysorepak

3.     Appam

4.     Murukku

5.     Adirasam

6.     Jangiri

7.     Mullu tenkuzhal

8.     Mohana Ladu

9.     Laddu

10.   Maalaadu

11.   Badusha

12.   Rava laddu

13.   Pottukkadalai (Fried grams) paruppu thengai

14.   Verkkadalai (peanuts) paruppu thengai

15.   Manokaram paruppu thengai

16.   Peppermint paruppu thengai

17.   Mysore pak paruppu thengai

18.   Cashew nut paruppu thengai

19.   Laddu paruppu thengai

20   Sweet cashew (sugar coated)

BEAUTIFUL BRIDE

Plan a few months ahead, so that you look your best on your Wedding day.

With pre-marriage preparations, it is easy to overstrain the body, overuse stimulants such as coffee and tea, miss breakfast, get inadequate sleep and go through emotional pressures. All this takes a toll on the body and mind.

Instead, take charge and plan these few months ahead so that you look your best on your wedding day. The human body is an absolutely amazing machine. If you put in effort in the right direction you can truly start looking and feeling fantastic.

Make a beginning now by exercising regularly, finding ways to relax and looking after your skin. Head to toe, body and mind – here are four ways to help you take charge!

1. FITTING EXERCISE

Exercise will rev up your mood, improve blood circulation and keep you in shape. The key to staying consistent with exercise is to select an exercise programme that is enjoyable – one that fits in with your personality, lifestyle and fitness goals. First, establish your goals. What is that you would be like to gain from your exercise routine? Whether your aim is to tone up or lose a few excess pounds – you will figure that exercise is not just for the body – it does wonders for the mind.

Forms of Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise: Cardiovascular exercise burns calories, promotes blood circulation and strengthens the heart. Good choices include walking, swimming and cycling.

Strength training: Weight-bearing exercise plays and important role in maintaining bone density and keeping the body strong and well-toned. An effective routine would include exercises that target the major muscle groups of the upper, mid and lower body. Good choices include weight bearing exercises like push-ups, sit-ups or working out on machines or exercising using dumbbells or resistance bands.

Flexibility training: Flexibility exercises help maintain good posture, keep the body supple and free from muscular stress. Good choices include yoga, Pilates, stretching exercises and tai chi.

2. FIND WAYS TO RELAX

When you are de-stressed and happy it shows – decide to do something that relaxes you and leaves you feeling refreshed.

• Get yourself a relaxing body or foot massage.
• Breathing exercises and pranayama improve lung capacity and calm the body and mind.
• An apple a day, a brisk walk and a good laugh a day – don’t forget to create a positive outlook to life.

EAT WHOLESOME FOOD

Eat nutritious foods. Choose wholesome foods instead of packaged, refined foods. Be creative in your choices so that the food you eat is tasty as well as healthy.

A healthy well balanced diet should include carbohydrates, proteins, fats and plenty of water. Carbohydrates (grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes) must form 55-60% of your diet; proteins (milk, eggs, fish and sprouts) 15%; and fats (oils, butter) 25%. Carbohydrates provide energy, proteins help in repairing tissues and fat is essential in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

Prolonged, unbalanced diets that include only one or two foods, or that eliminate the entire food groups can lead to serve nutritional deficiencies. What is mainly lost is water and important muscle tissue, and unfortunately, health and energy is also as the metabolism slows down.

4. TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN

Regular exercise, relaxation techniques, adequate water and a positive state of mind are important ingredients to keep the skin looking beautiful and glowing.

Hydration is essential: Water keeps the skin looking fresh and alive. It is one of the most essential nutrients of the human body. The adult body is 60 to 75% water. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Also, eat high-water content foods that will keep you well-hydrated. Examples are watermelon, orange, pineapples, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Beware of pollution, sun burn and other irritants. Stay away from smog, dust and harsh sunlight.

Know your skin type: Consult an expert. Based on your skin type you will be recommended products which are right for your skin. Cleanse tone and moisturize your skin regularly. This is a daily three-step process in looking after your skin. Consider applying face-packs or taking facials. Make every effort to follow the advice of an expert and take time-out to pamper your skin.

The writer is a certified Clinical Exercise Specialist, Lifestyle and Weight Management Specialist.

This information is gathered from a news paper for the benefit of the present and future brides.

Wedding Invitations

Your invitation card is the first impression you make on the guests who will share your special day with you. The perfect beginning to your dream wedding is the perfect wedding Invitation card.

Today, wedding cards come in various shapes, sizes and designs with photographs and poems printed and are colorful, exquisite and unique as can be. You could use your creative flair and design your own invitation card and get estimates from printers. Alternatively, if your budget permits, you could entrust the entire job to an artist or an artist's agency and save yourself all headaches.

A range of designs from traditional to contemporary, colors from pleasing pastels to earthy and vibrant, paper from handmade, banana fiber, silk-laid to imported art card, motifs from Ganesh to cards using mouli thread and real supari can be found. The rates of cards can range from 3 Rs to 10Rs per card for simple ones to the more elaborate ones which can go from 50 to 75 Rs per card.

If the same number of guests are not being invited to all the ceremonies, have different cards for every different function. This will help you plan your guest lists as well.

The wedding invitation can be organised in a number of formats. However the following important information must be included such as the fact that it is a wedding event, the name of the hosts, the name of the bride and the groom, the date and the year, the time, addresses of the venue for various ceremonies, RSVP with addresses and phone number.

Make sure you order extra invitations in case you decide to increase the number of invitees later, and also some to keep as mementos. Order a few extra envelopes, to allow for damages or for errors in writing of addresses. Order all the invitations at the same time. Placing to small orders is more costly that one large order.

Double check the printers proofs for errors.

Information Courtesy: A Indian wedding site.