South Indian Weddings: A Complete Guide On The Rituals And Traditions

Wondering how long can a South Indian wedding last? A couple of days? A week? No, you’re mistaken sometimes it takes more than a week, well our country is seasoned with a rich culture holding bunch of vibrant traditions. Every Indian culture is bagged with lots of emotions and sentiments. Indian weddings have drawn its attention globally because of their rich culture banks and if you’re curious to know about South Indian wedding rituals and customs then you’ve come to the right place.

Listing all the wedding rituals would make the article endless, so we’ve trimmed it and handpicked some rituals that are cherished in South India. And without delaying let’s jump right into to exploring the South Indian Culture.

South Indian Rituals 

Nichayathartham

Isn’t it hard to pronounce? Well, yes it is, but this word basically means Engagement, a pre-wedding ceremony that starts with a Ganesha Pooja and an exchange of rings. Here the groom’s family will present gifts to the bride this will be a saree, jewelry, and sweets.

Image Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

Pandha Kaal Nadudhal

We know that even this is hard to pronounce, but you’ve to practice! This ritual Pandha Kaal Nadudhal is that a week before the wedding the families of the bride and the groom would place a bamboo pole on the entrance, interestingly this is a sign that says, there is a wedding going to happen at their place and this pole even ward off evil eyes, interesting right?

Haldi

Well, this pre-wedding ritual is familiar, right? Basically, Haldi is a turmeric paste applied to the bride and the groom at their respective houses. It is believed that the anti-inflammatory properties help you to stay away from illness, it’s a light-hearted ritual where families will sing and dance.

Image Courtesy: Vows By Siddhu

Gauri Pooja

This ritual is mainly celebrated at the bride’s home, the reason behind this is the goddess Parvati, she is believed to be the sign of purity and hence the bride from every Indian family will seek blessings from the goddess Parvati, the pooja includes sequences of actions to be performed with rice and its husks.

Mangal Snaanam

So, as the name suggests it’s a purifying bath usually done on the day of the wedding, some would prefer a day before the wedding. It’s a holy bath where a paste of turmeric and pure oil is applied to the bride and the groom at their respective houses followed by showers, this helps you fight the infections.

Image Courtesy: Vijayeesam

Kashi Yatra

Yes, you’ve heard it right! Kashi Yatra is a South Indian ritual where the groom pretends to leave the wedding to Kasi with a walking stick, umbrella, and other necessary things for the journey. But the fun fact is the father of the bride will rush to stop the groom and offers him to marry his beautiful daughter and after some cute moments of refusals, the groom would finally agree to stay and get ready for the garland exchange.

Image Courtesy: The Wedding Salad

Garland Exchange  

Garland Exchange or you can say Maalai Maatral can be witnessed in almost every Indian tradition whether you’re from the southern part or the northern part of India. This ritual bags a history to the ancient period where the queen chose her prince through swayamvaram. The bride and the groom exchange the garland thrice to complete the ritual.

Kanyadanam

Kanyadanam is a popular ritual of south Indian weddings. It’s an emotional moment between the father and his daughter. The bride will be seated on the laps of her father, this is the highest form of sacrifice a man does in his life according to the Vedas, the ritual is recited with milk and holy water.

Mangal Sutra

The entire above where pre-wedding rituals followed to witness the moment. This is the wedding moment where the groom will tie the holy Mangal Sutra around the neck of the bride and the whole family gather together to witness this with excitement.

Saptapadi

This is the most precious post-wedding ritual of south Indian weddings where the couple would take 7 rounds and 7 promises for life, the attires of the couple are tied together before beginning the ritual. So, you must be wondering what the promises would be, right? Here you go.....

1.     Will always share the responsibilities together.

2.     Will always remain true, honest to one another.

3.     Will never give mental or physical ailments to each other.

4.     Will lead a wealthy life while caring and loving will be the priority.

5.     Living a long life.

6.     Trade their virtues.

7.     Will lead a righteous life together.

And you’ve come to an end, if you’ve read this article you must have been a history buff or would have that zeal to know the rituals being celebrated in South Indian. Do let us know how this article was and hope we served you well!

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