There are several things you can expect at a Brahmin wedding. Some of them include an exciting jugalbandi of food with polished and pristine banana leaves, overhead festoons on mango leaves, pompous nadhaswaram, people clad in Madisar and Panchakacham, etc. Also, how can you forget about the very famous athirasam! Did you know that all the rituals that take place at Brahmin matrimony come from the age-old Vedic times? All these rituals are not just made up of pomp and fest. They all have a deep and profound inner meaning that is usually not known to all and sundry. They might definitely consist of a few passé traditions but whoever called old as gold was a genius!
Let’s check out some fascinating Brahmin matrimonial rituals that you must definitely be acquainted with if you are going to attend a Brahmin wedding in the near future!
Vandanam
Vandanam in plain words means receiving the groom’s party. In this ritual, the bride’s parents are supposed to wait outside the venue of the marriage with flowers, coconut, Thamboola and Paruppu Thengai Urundai, which are two conical structures made up of dal, coconut, and jaggery. With all these items, they receive the groom with his family for the wedding ceremony.
Vratham
Vratham is where the main part of the wedding begins. Both the families perform this ceremony to invoke their respective family’s ancestors and deities. Something called a “Kappu” is then tied around the wrists of the bride and the groom. This yellow thread must not be untied or removed until they both get married, and the wedding is over. The Kappu apparently wards off all the evil spirits and acts as a very protective armor for the groom and the bride both. This is when the groom starts preparing for the new phase in his life, also known as ‘Grihastha.’
Janavasam
Janavasam is also known as Mappillai Azhaippu. This is a puja ceremony that usually takes place at a temple close to the place of residence. The groom, in this ritual, is taken on a procession that ends at the mandap. He goes there in order to accept the bride. These days, the same procession takes place in a car. However, in the olden days, the procession often took place on the back of an elephant. The ritual of Janavasam takes place to “show” the groom to everyone and allow the public to voice its objections to the marriage if any.
Nichayathartham
Nichayathartham is also known as the engagement ceremony. Upon the groom’s arrival at the wedding ceremony, the process of the engagement ceremony begins. Firstly, the Ganpati Puja takes place after which a formal agreement is made between the families of both the bride and the groom. The engagement takes place after that.
These are some amazing sacred rituals that take place at a Brahmin wedding. If you are also on the lookout for a Brahmin life partner, you can register on LoveVivah.com, India’s 1st matrimonial site or matrimony site with Aadhaar linked profiles!