TAMIL MARRIAGES

The Tamil community is fairly large and Tamil weddings are usually well attended by close as well as distant relatives. The Tamilians believe in simple living, hence their weddings are not necessarily extravagant affairs. A special marriage hall - 'Kalyana Mandapams' is booked for the occasion and decorated with flowers and lights. The date for the wedding is fixed after consulting the Hindu calendar. Tuesdays and Saturdays are not auspicious for weddings and so are Rahu Kaalam and Yama Kandam.So the wedding time is fixed accordingly. The bride's birth star is used to fix the most appropriate date and time for the wedding. Once the match is finalized, a private function is held to draw up the marriage agreement. On an auspicious day priests from either side meet in the groom's house and the two parties exchange the marriage agreement. The agreement is placed on a plate along with bananas, coconuts and betel leaf. The terms of the marriage too are announced by the parties and accepted. Usually the girl is presented with a silk sari by the groom's family and the groom receives clothes or cash in lieu.'Rangoli' designs can be seen at the entrance of the marriage halls, which match the mood of the occasion and beckon a hearty welcome to the well-wishers who arrive for the wedding. Flowers are in abundance at a Hindu wedding. They are both present in the form of decorations around the hall and for the bride, and also used in the wedding prayers as offerings to God. With the parents of the bride, the priest performs Ganesh Pooja. The bride is asked to come out and sit in the venue. The groom's party gives the bride a new sari. Then the bride is seated and a tilak of chandan and kumkum is applied to her forehead. The pallav of her sari is filled with fruits, paan supari, turmeric, kumkum, coconut and flowers and tied around her waist. An aarti is performed for her.