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Tamil Wedding
Pre-wedding Rituals
Panda kaal muhurtham
A small ritual is performed one day before the wedding to invoke the blessings of the family deity to ensure that the wedding preparations proceed smoothly. The family of the bride and the groom pray to the deity who is symbolically represented by a bamboo pole.
Receiving the Groom
When the groom and his family arrive at the wedding hall on the morning one day before the wedding, they are welcomed with a tray containing offerings of flowers, paan supari, fruits and mishri. Rose water is sprinkled on the groom. The bride's brother applies a tilak of sandalwood paste and kumkum on his forehead and garlands him. The bride's mother offers the groom's parents a sweet dish prepared from condensed milk. A senior female member of the bride's family performs aarti and welcomes them. It is also customary to break a coconut to the ground as this is believed to help ward off evil spirits.
Vratham
Vratham is performed a day before the wedding by the family of the bride as well as that of the groom. They recite Vedic hymns in the presence of a priest (Vaadyar) and seek the blessings of a family deity. They also invoke the blessings of all their ancestors and pray for their intervention in removing those obstacles that threaten to disrupt the wedding proceedings.
Pallikai thellichal
The family of the bride begins this ceremony a day before the wedding. Clay pots are filled with with nine varieties of grain, married women from both the sides sprinkle water. During this ceremony, the others present sing traditional songs to the accompaniment of music. The next day when the grains sprout, these pots are immersed in a pond so that the fish in the pond may feed on the grains and bless the newly-weds abundantly.
Naandi
This ceremony involves honouring a few Brahmins with gifts and sweets. The Brahmins are invited to represent the souls of the ancestors of the bride and the groom. The families seek their blessings before beginning the marriage proceedings.
Jaanavaasam
A tradition which is rarely practised these days. The groom gets into a decorated car and is escorted to the wedding venue by a large and joyous procession of family and friends accompaned by professional musicians playing traditional wedding music. Sometimes there are also fireworks to celebrate the occasion. The girl's brother garlands the groom and receives him at the wedding hall.
Nicchiyadharatham
The bride's parents perform Ganesh Pooja in the presence of the officiating priest. The groom's side gives the bride a new sari. A tilak of chandan and kumkum is applied on her forehead, while the pallav of her sari is filled with fruits, paan-supari, turmeric, kumkum and coconut. A garland of flowers is tied around her waist. Aarti is also performed for her.
Reading of lagna pathirigai
The priest formally reads out the wedding invitation. Details on three generations of the lineage of the boy and the girl and other information on the muhurtam and venue is announced. This is followed by an elaborate dinner.
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