A Perfect Blend Of Beauty & Culture

Have you ever wished to participate in the most colorful, ritual, religious and cultural ceremonies in India? Visit the weddings in south India, where two families, and their cultures, customs & religious practices are united together. These weddings are known for some of the most exciting rituals, invocations and ceremonies. Exchange of the garlands, tying the 'mangalasutra' and revolving around the sacred fire are some of the rituals which are common to all Hindu marriages.

The gates of the wedding hall are beautifully decorated with green plants and flowers, which signify evergreen plenty for endless generations. Overhead festoons of mango leaves symbolize the never fading relationship to begin here. During the function, you can hear the melodious notes of Nadaswaram that signify the gathering is sacred and divine. Kolam or Rangoli is designed on the ground with powdered colours, rice, flour etc. as per the mood of the occasion. It symbolizes a warm welcome to the well wishers who arrive at the function. The women at the function are greeted with fresh flowers to express a wish of Saubhagyam (good fortune).

Before the marriage, the bridegrooms are welcomed in the temple, while escorted by their parents. This activity is called 'Janna Vasam' in South India. During the main wedding ceremony, the feet of the bride and groom are washed with milk and dried with silk cloth by the bride's father (Vara Puja). The bridegroom then walk around the fire and feed it with ghee, and twigs of nine types of trees, which is the most important ceremony called 'Saptha Padhi'. It symbolizes paying honour to the Fire God Agni. During the wedding, a solution of lime and turmeric powder is circled around the bridegroom and thrown away to keep the evil eye at bay.

The main activities during the south Indian weddings are:

• Ganapathi Puja (worship of the Lord Ganesha)
• Vratham (the bride ties the kappu, the holy thread on her wrists, and the groom worships for the Gods Indra, Soma, Chandra and Agni)
• Malai Mathal (the bride and groom are lifted to the shoulders of their respective maternal uncles)
• Unjal (the couple is seated on a swing)
• Pallikai Seeds Sowing (seeking for the blessing of the eight direction quartered guardian angels for a healthy life)
• Offering Mangalsutram to the bride by the groom
• Kanya Danam (the bride is made to sit on her father’s lap and is given away as a gift by him to the groom)

The couple plays a fun game 'Nalangu' with coconuts in the evening. The couple is given blessings by showering rose petals. The last ceremony is 'Vidai' when the girl is ready to go to the groom's home. All these rituals and traditions are thoroughly enjoyed by all the people who are a part of the wedding.