Tamil Nadu is a Southern
State of India, occupying the extreme South of the Indian Peninsula.
The main languages spoken are Tamil and English. Not only has
politics in Tamil Nadu been secular in comparison with most other
states of India, but also the rituals in Tamil matrimonial are
very familiar to those found in Indian matrimonials. Tamil Nadu
has a huge population with the majority of people being Dravidar.
More than 85% of the population speaks Tamil, which is the state's
official language.
In Tamil matrimonials, once a matrimonial alliance is fixed the
girl and boy are not allowed to meet. The priests of the groom’s
family do the fixing of the matrimonial. The Tamil engagement
takes place a day before the wedding and is a pre - matrimonial
ceremony. The groom arrives at the girl’s house with a ‘Baraat’.
This pre - matrimonial ceremony is known as the ‘Jaanavaasam’.
A ‘Ganesh Puja’ follows this. ‘Panda Kaal Muhurtham’
or ‘Vratham’ is performed, and it is another small
pre - matrimonial ceremony, one day before wedding. Recitation
of Vedic hymns in the presence of a priest i.e., ‘Vaadyar’
takes place. This ritual is held to invoke the blessings of the
family deity to ensure that the matrimonial alliance proceeds
smoothly. A bamboo pole symbolically represents this deity..
The next day, the Tamil couple to be married has to take a ‘Mangala
Snanam’. This is a ritual bath, on the day of the actual
matrimonial day. Before the bath they are anointed with oil and
a tilak of haldi-kumkum. This ritual is carried out at dawn and
at their respective homes. After the bath, a tilak of chandan
and kumkum is applied on the bride’s forehead, while the
palau of her sari is filled with fruits, paan, supari, turmeric,
kumkum and coconut. A garland of flowers adorns her waist. Aarti
is also performed for her.
After this ritual bath, the groom claims that he is leaving for
Kashi. He carries a walking stick and other small essentials to
pretend that he is not interested in becoming a householder. The
girl's father intervenes and requests him to accept his daughter
and fulfill his responsibilities as a householder. Folks convince
him not to go on the pilgrimage. This Tamil wedding ritual is
light hearted and enlivens the mood of the relatives and friends
who are attending the marriage.
Another Tamil marriage ceremony that is full of fun and gaiety
is the exchanging of garlands. The bride and the groom exchange
garlands thrice. Their relatives tease them by pulling away the
bride while the groom reaches forward to be garlanded by her and
vice versa. The bride and the groom's uncles have to hoist them.
The maternal uncle of both parties help in the matrimonial ceremonies
that are being held and it is therefore important for them to
be there. It has been seen that all over India maternal uncles
play a vital role in matrimonial rituals.
