Keralite Hindu wedding ceremony happening in a typical traditional style. Guests giving gifts to newly wedded couple.

Contrary to the perception of the 'big fat Indian wedding', which generally involve a series of customs and ceremonies, the marriage organized in a typical Malayalee style is very simple and brief. Although elaborate rituals are not followed at a typical Malayalee wedding, the ceremony is very impressive to look at. The simple Malayalee marriage is generally divided into three phases. During the pre-wedding days, the muhurtham and date for the engagement and wedding are figured out. On the engagement ceremony, the nishchaya thaamboolam are exchanged by the prospective bride and the groom's parents. You can also witness the exchange of engagement ring on the same day, at many Malayalee weddings.

Kalyanam (Marriage)
Dakshina Kodukkal - Both the bride and bridegroom get the blessings of the elders by giving "Dakshina" consisting of a betel leaf, a ripe arecanut and a coin and then touching their feet. The marriage ceremony starts with this ritual that is carried out in their respective homes.

Thereafter the bridegroom and party leaves for the venue of the marriage.
Varavelppu - In this ritual, the bride's family receives the groom's family at the entrance of the venue of marriage, to the tune of nadaswarams (long wind-instruments). The groom stands on a wooden plank while the bride's younger brother washes his feet. The bride's aunts (wives of maternal uncles) perform aarti for the. The groom is then escorted to the mandapam (platform constructed to perform the wedding rites) by two rows of young girls. One girl carries the changala vatta (sacred oil lamp), while another carries the ashtamangalyam (eight auspicious articles). The girls following the first two, carry the taala poli (platters of rice, turmeric, and flowers on which oil lamps lit in the broken half of a coconut are placed). With his parents on either side, the groom follows the girls around the mandapam and seats himself on the right side of the canopy, which is decorated by flowers, fabric, palm fronds, and banana stalks.

Thaali-kettu (Tying the thaali) - The bride is now escorted by her aunt or mother to the mandapam to the sound of thenadaswarams and is made to stand facing to the east, with the groom facing her. At the auspicious moment set by the astrologer for the muhurtham (the most auspicious time), the groom ties the golden 'thaali' which is strung from a yellow thread around the bride's neck and this is accompanied by a special beating of drums (Ketti melam) and the ceremonial ululating sounds made by women (Vai Kurava). Sometimes the actual tying of the knot of the Thaali thread is done by the sister of the bridegroom if needed.
The girl's father does the 'Kanyadanam' to the groom. The newly wed couple should take a round of the Manadapam. This is the end of marriage ceremony.

Maala maattal (Exchange of garlands) or Maala Ideel - The couple then exchange garlands accepting each other as life partners. The bride's father then places the bride's hand in the groom's, thus handing over his daughter to the groom in holy matrimony.

Source:https://sites.google.com/site/archanawedsshinoop/wedding-events/ceremony-and-reception

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