Kerala Hindu Wedding Rituals & Program
In a traditional Kerala Hindu wedding, there are several pre-wedding and wedding rituals that are significant and hold cultural importance. Some of the main pre-wedding and wedding rituals in a Kerala Hindu wedding ceremony are:
Pre-wedding rituals:
Muhurtham
In this pre-wedding ritual, an astrologer matches the Kundlis of the bride and groom to see whether the match is viable. If the Kundlis match, then a Muhurath is an auspicious and holy date for the wedding.
Nischayam
This pre-wedding ceremony of the Kerala Hindu wedding is the engagement. Here, both the families make an official announcement of the wedding in front of everyone. This formalises the wedding alliance where the elders from both families meet and agree on marriage. The groom's family presents the bride with clothes, jewellery, and sweets.
Traditional Party
Before the wedding ceremony, the bride's family organises a party for the guests. The traditional party offers a delicious vegetarian meal for the guests to savour.
Wedding rituals:
Pandhal Ceremony
The wedding venue is decorated with a pandal, or decorative canopy, made of coconut leaves and flowers. This marks the beginning of wedding preparations.
Madhuparkam Ritual
In this ritual, when the groom reaches the wedding venue, he and his family members are warmly welcomed, and the bride's father washes the groom's feet. The groom gives his in-laws a white saree that the bride is supposed to wear during the wedding ceremonies. The groom arrives at the bride's home wearing a traditional attire called Madhuparkam, which consists of a white cloth with a gold border. He carries a bouquet and gifts for the bride.
Veli/Panigrahanam
All the wedding ceremonies are performed before a Veli (holy fire). The couple goes around the Veli three times, and then the groom ties a Taali (yellow necklace) around the bride's neck. After this, the actual Kanyadaanam ritual is done, where the bride's father hands over his daughter's hand in the hands of the groom. This signifies that he is handing over the responsibilities of his daughter to him.
Sparsham Ritual
In this wedding ritual, the groom is made to sit on the floor in a way that he faces the bride and their foreheads touch. The priest chants and asks the bride to put rice in the Veli. After this, the groom puts the bride's foot on the Ammi (grinding stone) to signify that she is breaking ties with her family and stepping into a new family.
Sadhya
In this wedding ritual, once all the other rituals are over, all the guests sit together to enjoy a grand feast of traditional dishes.
These are some of the main pre-wedding and wedding rituals that are performed in a traditional Kerala Hindu wedding.