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
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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.

INDIAN BRIDAL JEWELRY

Indian brides wear jewelry sets that are made in gold, be it necklaces, bangles, anklets and earrings. Many a time, the bridal jewelry is set with diamonds and other precious stones. The modern day bride prefers to have some modern wearable items of gold jewelry in her trousseau. Not many would like to be weighed down by heavy jewelry that cannot be worn often and will be more an invitation for thieves. Come the wedding season and you can see crowds thronging the jewelry stores. Indian bridal jewelry has always been considered her 'streedhan' - personal wealth that would stand in good stead in times of need.

Indian jewelry for brides is created to enhance the beauty of the woman. The gentle tinkle of the anklets around delicate feet, a set of jingling bangles on her hands and an exquisitely crafted necklace round her neck - the Indian bride looks resplendent in her finery and colorful profusion. Some bridal ornaments such as waistbands and armlets are seldom worn these days.

Indian bridal jewelry varies from region to region as well as different communities. Precious stones such as jade, garnet, emerald, amethyst, pearl and coral are widely used in Indian bridal jewelry. Stones are said to pass their own special healing touch to the wearer. The precious stones are said to have an effect on one's blood vessels and temperament. Use of navarathnas or nine precious stones can be seen in finger rings and earrings.

The mangal sutra is an important item in the bridal jewelry. This necklace is tied by the husband around the wife's neck as a symbol of their union. This is usually created on a necklace strung with black beads. It is considered a protection against the evil eye. Many a bride makes a few changes to suit her tastes, keeping well within the prescribed parameters.

The conventional gold pendant is often replaced with a diamond. The length of the mangal sutra is one of personal preference. Black beads are sometimes interspersed with gold beads. South Indian brides wear silk saris that are offset by exquisite jewelry in gold. Bridal jewelry encrusted with rubies, emeralds or pearls is popular. The south Indian women wear a thaali as a symbol of their marriage. This is usually in the form of a thick yellow thread with gold pendant.

This information is gathered from a wedding site for the benefit of the parents who are intending to plan a marriage.

JEWELS - BRIDE

No bridal outfit would be complete without ornate jewels, and when it comes to Indian bridal jewels the obvious choice is gold. In India, marriage and jewel are inseparably interlinked. Jewelry has many connotations, both aesthetic and ritual. The wearing of jewels is supposed to endow the women with qualities of power and authority, as well as great beauty.

Gold has traditionally symbolized wealth and prosperity within Indian culture, holding special significance in celebrations such as weddings and births. Often presented as a gift or tangible form of investment, this precious metal features heavily in most Indian weddings. Ornaments such as the mangalasutra, bindi, ear rings, bangles, nose rings and rings are presently worn by brides almost all over the country. Some of the important traditional ornaments like armlets, waste bands etc are not in vogue today and are not worn in all areas.

Rings are the most traditional form of wedding jewelery for both men and women, and universally symbolize a marriage between two individuals. In Indian marriages, the additional adornment of a 'mangal sutra' or 'thaali' (a small gold pendant worn on a thread or necklace) is the main symbol of matrimony. Tying a thaali around the neck of the bride by the groom is the most important ceremony in Indian marriages. Wearing of 'chura' (set of red bangles given to the bride from her maternal side of the family) and toe rings (which the bridegroom puts on the brides toes) are also traditional symbols of marriage. The kind of ornament, of course, depends on the community to which she belongs and their particular customs. These pieces of jewels which she cherishes throughout her married life, signifies a married women's status and is considered auspicious.

The traditional 'mangalasutra' usually in gold, comes in various forms and sizes -some with auspicious symbols depicting 'Om' or gods like Vishnu or Shiva (for Hindus) or a cross (for Christians) and others with traditional designs. Nowadays more fashionable versions with diamonds and precious stones are also seen. In the south especially in Tamil Nadu and in a few other states, Thaali's are tied on a thick yellow thread. When the thread is worn out, they are replaced by a new thread. Generally, in the northern states Mangalsutra is worn on a chain with two strings of black beads interspersed with gold. These beads are believed to protect the marriage against evil.

The mangalasutra with vatis (tiny bowls) is a must for every Maharashtrian bride, the Gujarati bride sports the typically Gujarati Mangalasutra interspersed with gold and black beads with a pendant in a traditional design.

The Punjabi bride usually chooses as her mangalasutra the kundan (traditional Indian stone setting with thin gold foil forming a wedge around the stones) pendant set in 22-carat gold and held together with black beaded chains. Also set in 22 carat gold is the Hyderabad mangalasutra with seven pendants attached.

Other than the Mangalasutra, in North India, many women deck their arms with bangles in vivid green and red. And the chooda that is presented to the bride by her mama as a symbol of her newly married status is one which she has to wear for at least 40 days after her marriage. The chooda is traditionally a set of ivory bangles with inlay work. The modern day variations can be found in cheaper forms in plastic or acrylic as well. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, bichwa or toe rings must be worn by all married women. After marriage, the Sindhi women prefer to wear the traditional gold earring each studded with nine diamonds. Further north, after marriage, the Kashmiri Brahmin women wear the 'dejhoru' and 'aathhoru', an ornament worn in the pierced cartilage of the ear with a cord suspended from it at one end. Among the Muslims, the nose ring is obligatory at the time of marriage.

Traditional or modern, the varieties of Indian jewels available are numerous and the choices limitless. Each part of India offers their own traditional ornaments with special significance and these typically traditional ornaments with slight variations remain trendy at all times.

PANIGRAHANAM AND SAPTHAPATHI

The most important and significant parts of the marriage ceremony are the Pani Grahanam and Sapthapathi

PANI GRAHANAM

Pani Grahanam means that ‘bride and groom’ can/must touch and hold each other’s hand only and nobody else’s – at least on the wedding day however modern you are.

SAPTHAPATHI

Sapthapathi means Seven Sacred steps taken around the sacred Agni in the Homa Kundam. These seven steps and Veda mantras that are recited by the groom after the Sapthapathi, explain in lucid terms, the very essence and the basic purpose of a marriage.

The hands so joined during Pani Grahanam and Sapthapathi are to be held together forever for some decades at least.