The Tamil Wedding

Marriage in Hindu traditions is a union between a man and a woman with an aim to start a family and for the alliance between two families in Tamil matrimony.

The Religious Ceremony:

For the ceremony, the groom wears a white dhoti and puts an angavastram over his shoulders. The colour which the bride wears depends on her choice. Generally, red and maroon are the chosen as bridal outfit, which are traditional too. The gold jewellery worn by the bride is very ethnic and heavy. There is concept of wearing heavy gold jewellery among the brides in Tamil matrimony. The status of the family is reflected in the gold jewellery that is worn by the brides at the time of wedding.

In North India, there is a concept that the brides put chunni or stole over their forehead at the time of wedding, which is not the case with the south Indian brides. There is no compulsion for the brides to cover their heads. The hair of the bride is beautifully decorated with flowers and gold jewellery.

At the beginning of the religious ceremony, the groom is accompanied by the brother of the bride and the bride is accompanied by the sister of the groom. The bride and groom are offered with gold ring, a sari and a necklace of white flowers.

The groom arrives the venue with a necklace of white flowers. The priest begins the religious rituals when the bride arrives with her family. The groom gifts her with a necklace of flowers.

The priest conducts the wedding rituals and the guests bless the young couple. The groom ties a Thali, a gold necklace, around the bride’s neck and they are then declared as husband and wife in the Tamil matrimonial. The guests bless the couple by showering them with flower petals.

Author: Rashmi Karan