A traditional Tamil wedding begins with the Kanyadaanam, or giving away of the bride by her parents. This ritual is accompanied by a coconut and holy water pouring from the bride’s mother. The bride’s parents offer her daughter to the groom and ask him to take care of her for the rest of her life. The couple then tie a sacred thread around their hands.
The couple’s horoscopes are carefully matched using Vedic guidelines. This horoscope analysis helps determine the precise moment to marry. The ceremony also includes a marriage agreement, which is drafted by a priest on both sides and exchanged on a platter with bananas and betel nuts. Gifts are exchanged between the families as well.
Another important ritual in a Tamil Wedding is the Kashi yatra. During the yatra, the groom’s family must accompany him to Kashi, a holy mountain. During this journey, the groom is expected to renounce all worldly pleasures and dedicate himself to the god. In the end, the groom is convinced to choose domestic bliss over worldly pleasures. In the final ceremony, his father will wash his feet with sandalwood, holy water, milk, and kumkum.
The groom also wears traditional clothes, including a two-piece garment known as a Veshti. The upper part of this garment is called a lungi, and the lower portion is called the Angavastram. A turban-like necklace is also worn around the groom’s neck. However, modern Tamil grooms are not so traditional and usually wear Sherwani, Kurtas, Vests, or Jackets instead.
The wedding ceremony is held on a day of auspiciousness in Tamil. The family priest chooses the day of the wedding based on the Tamil Panchangam (the cycle of the month). Before the wedding, the bride and groom’s families perform the Paadal kaal Muhurtham, a bamboo pole marked with turmeric and vermillion and tied with a white handkerchief. During this ceremony, the groom’s family offers a ganesha prayer to protect the wedding proceedings.
The wedding ceremony is multi-ritual, beginning with the Sammandhi Maiyathai, where the bride’s family offers rice to the groom. The groom then offers the rice to the sacred fire (called Agni), which represents the light of God and the divine power. In the end, the bride and groom make their vows before the wedding guests and exchange gifts.
Another tradition in a Tamil wedding is the Sumangali Prarthanai. In Tamil marriages, women who have lived happy and prosperous lives are called Sumangalis. The bride’s family asks the blessings of these women and they are invited to the bride’s house. They then receive a traditional feast served on banana leaves.
The Tamil wedding starts with a ceremony called the Lagna Pathirikai. The priest reads the names of all the bride’s family and groom’s family in front of the guests. The couple then takes a bath together before washing their feet, and the bride is given new clothes and accessories from the groom’s family. The Pada Pooja ceremony is similar in different Tamil communities, but the ceremonies vary from one another. During this ceremony, the bride and groom are given a blessing by the goddess Gauri, the goddess of purity.