Wedding Events

Wedding Events Weddings occupy a very significant place in Indian Culture. Hindu weddings are especially bright and filled with rituals and celebrations for several days. Wedding marks the beginning of a new relationship, not just between two individuals but also between two families, and there are various moments in the wedding ceremonies that help to build new relationships. Indian wedding is not just about serious rituals and customs, but even fun filled rituals and frothy moments that lighten the moods and remain as cherishing moments in the coming years. Wedding traditions vary across religion, caste, ethnicity, language and region. When we have a complete understanding of what a particular ritual means and why it is done, it is all the more fun to perform. Here I have described some of the rituals that will take place during my wedding to the best of my ability. Read on and have fun! Mehendi/Sangeet Mehendi or “Gorintaku ” as it is called in telugu plays a very important part for the bride in the Indian weddings. The bride-to-be gets her hands and feet decorated with henna ( mehndi). Young girls and ladies too have Mehndi put on their hands as a symbol of joy, participation and happiness. It is also said that the darker a bride’s mehendi becomes, the more her husband-to-be loves her. Now how much of this myth is a fact is yet to be decided. This function wherein all the ladies apply mehendi to their hands and have fun by singing and dancing along is called “Sangeet” in North India. Though it is not a traditional function in Andhra Pradesh, I have included it in my wedding to have more fun. There will be antakshari, singing, dancing and loads of fun. So this is the place to be if you looking to have some MASTI!!! Pelli Kooturu Cheyyadam (Bride Making Ceremony) A day or two before the wedding, an auspicious day and time are decided. At this appointed hour, oil is applied to the bride-to-be’s head, face, arms and legs. Then turmeric roots are ground to powder in front of the bride-to-be by older married ladies. Then the bride-to-be is given a ceremonial bath and the adorned in new clothes, jewellary and flowers in her hair. “Kalyana Tilakam” is decorated on her face between her eyebrows. She is then blessed by everybody present. Now officially she is the “Bride” and she cannot leave the house till the day of her wedding. Pelli Koduku Cheyyadam (Groom Making Ceremony) An auspicious date and hour are set for the groom making ceremony one or two days before the wedding day. On the appointed hour, oil and turmeric are applied to the groom-to-be on his head, face, arms and legs. He is then given a ceremonial bath. After the bath he is given traditional white dhoti to wear. Then his face is adorned with “Kalyana Tilakam” and everybody present blesses him. Now he is the “Groom” officially. He also cannot leave the house till the wedding day. Snatakam/Kasi Yatram (Trip to Varanasi) Snathakam ritual takes place at the bridegroom's residence before the muhurtham. As a part of this custom, the groom is asked to wear a silver thread on his body. The ritual is conducted a few hours prior to the wedding. After reciting the Vedic verses, the groom pretends to go on a Kashi yatra. He shows that he has discarded the worldly pleasure an is no more interested in leading a family life. He is then stopped by the brother of the bride, who persuades him to assume the responsibility of a householder. Eduru Sannahalu (Ceremony Facing Each Other) This is a fun event where the Bride and the Groom are made to stand face to face at a distance of about 15-20 feet. Bedsheets are held over the Bride and the Groom like a canopy. The relatives then apply pink colored powder to each other’s faces as a symbol of celebration. The Bride and the Groom try to make the other walk towards them by themselves walking the least. Relatives of the Bride persuade the Groom to come forward, where as the relatives of the Groom persuade the Bride to come forward. Finally the Bride and the Groom meet and exchange garlands. A large “Madapam” or canopy is erected and decorated with mango leaves, banana palms and flowers. The oldest member of the Bride’s family applies “kumkum” on the groom’s forehead and escorts him to the “Mandapam”. Vara Pooja (Pooja to the Groom) The feet of the Groom are washed with milk and wiped off with silk. Colored water and aarti is given to the groom to ward of evil spirits and then thrown away at a far off distance. Gauri Pooja Before the Sumuhurtam, the Groom already starts his rituals in the “Mandapam” during which time, the Bride is performing Pooja to Goddess Parvati (Also known as Gauri) in another room. She prays to Goddess Gauri to bless her with a happy married life, and during this pooja the Bride is not supposed to utter a single word. At an appointed time, the priests at the “Mandapamm” ask the Bride to be brought out to join the main wedding ceremony. Kanya Daanam (Gifting of the Bride) Kanyadaan is the ceremony in which the girl's family hands over their daughter's responsibility to the groom. During the ceremony, the bride sits in a bamboo basket. Her maternal uncle brings her to the mandapam. Until the completion of the kanyadaan, the bride and the groom are not allowed to look at each other and therefore, they are separated by a curtain that is place between them, as a partition. Thereafter, the bride's parents wash the groom's feet, assuming him as an 'avatar' of God. Sumuhurtam/Jeelakarra-Bellam (The Main Wedding Ceremony) An auspicious time for marriage is pre-chosen which is known as “Sumuhurtham”. At this appointed time, amidst shlokas from Vedas being recited by the priests, the Bride and the Groom apply Jeelakarra-Bellam (a paste made from cumin seeds and jaggery) on each other’s heads at exactly the same moment. The bitter taste of cumin seeds and the sweetness of jiggery cannot be separated, communicating that the bride and groom are supposed to become inseparable thorough life’s bitter and sweet times. It is also said that, when the couple touch each other’s heads with the Jeelakarra-Bellam paste in between, there is complete interchange of each other’s thoughts and destinies, thus making their lives completely inter-linked. Kanaka Dhaarana The Bride ties a string fastened to a piece of turmeric (called Kanakam) around the Groom’s wrist to bind them by a religious vow. The Groom now gets the right to touch the Bride. Thereafter, the Groom ties a Kanakam to the Bride’s wrist. Mangalasuthra Dhaarana The Bride and Groom are given white clothes which have been drenched in turmeric water and dried. These are called Madhuparkalu. Both Bride and the Groom don these clothes and reenter the “Mandapam”. The Bride is brought in a procession where ten married women accompany the Bride. Out of the ten, six hold plates containing a mixture of rice an turmeric called “Talambralu”. The remaining carry small-lit lamps which are made from a mixture of flour, sugar nad milk. Rice represents abundance and lit lamps indicate sweetness and light. Mangalasuthras are two gold sacred lockets tied in a turmeric thread that is to be tied around the Bride’s neck by the Groom. The Mangalasuthra (Thali) Dhaarana is timed at an exact auspicious hour. The Bride is seated facing eastward and the Groom is facing westward, ties the gold Mangalasuthra around the neck of the Bride by making three knots (moodu mullu). As the Groom ties the Mangalasuthra, the Nadaswaram drums are beaten loud and fast, so as to muffle any inauspicious sound at the critical hour. This is called “Getti Mellam”. As it sounds, the Sumangalis (married ladies) sing, “Gauri Kalyaname, Vaibhogame!” The Vedic hymn recited by the bridegroom when he ties the knot is -  MANGALYAM TANTUNANENA MAMA JIVANA HETHUNA | KANTHE: BADHNAMI SUBHAGE! SANJIVA SARADA: SATAM || "Praying the Almighty that I be blessed with a long life, I tie this knot around neck, Oh! Sowbhagyavati, may Providence bestow on you a fulfilling life of a 'Sumangali' for a hundred years to come!" Paanigrahanam (Accepting the Bride)  This means holding hands. The Groom stands facing west and the Bride sits in front of him facing east. The Groom holds the left hand of the Bride with his right hand, as a symbolic gesture of accepting her as his Bride. The Groom recites vedic hymns for happiness, long life and a lifelong relationship. Talambralu This is a fun event where the Bride and the Groom put Talambralu over each other’s heads. This event is usually followed by some fun games between the Bride and the Groom, such as playing with flower balls, picking a ring froma vessel filled with water. Sapta Padhi (Seven Steps) As a part of the Saptapadi ritual, the groom and bride walk seven steps together around the fire, while chanting mantras. When the pheras are conducted, the pallu of bride's sari is tied to one end of the groom's dhoti.  Sindhura Dhaarana and Sthaalipaakam The Groom places kumkuma (Red colored powder) on the Bride’s hair symbolizing her as a married woman. The Groom then slips silver toe rings on the Bride’s feet. The Bride is also adorned with a string of black beads (nalla poosalu), to protect her from the evil eye. Arundhati Darshanam (Viewing Arundhati Star) Arundhati Darshanam is the showing of the saptharishi mandala and the small star Arundhati underneath the star of Vashishtha. The Groom shows the Bride the star Arundhati and also Dhruva, the Pole Star. Arundhati, the wife of Vashishtha Maharishi exemplifies the ideal wife ~ the emobidiment of charity and Dhruva attained immortality through single-minded devotion and perseverance. This symbolizes the virtues to be emulated throughout marital life. Appaginthalu (Gifting over the Bride to the Groom’s Family) One of the important ceremonies associated with the wedding is the handing over ceremony. This bears a lot of emotional and sentimental significance to the Bride’s family. During this ritual the Bride is handed over to the Groom and his family by the Bride’s parents, amidst tears and emotions, with a request to look after their daughter for the rest of her life. After this the Bride leaves her parent’s house permanently to spend the rest of her life at her husband’s house.  Ashirvadam (Blessings) The Groom’s parents bless the couple and offer a cloth or flower to the Bride (now their daughter-in-law), symbolizing her joining of the Groom’s family. All those assembled shower flowers on the couple and bless them, completing the marriage. Gruhapravesam At the Groom’s house the couples are welcomed with auspicious songs and the Bride enters the Groom’s house for the first time with the first step being taken with the right leg. Satyanarayana Pooja On the first day of the Bride in the Groom’s house, the couple performs Satyanarayana Pooja which signifies a good start to their future life