Come Bathe in the Beauty of Traditional Kannada Marriage

You do not cease to stop smiling. You are most of the time daydreaming. Your laptop has shortcuts to a variety of folders associated with wedding planning. There is that cuddly teddy bear or a couple pictures near your desktop. Your wardrobe is continuously updated with a traditional outfit. You are most of the instances found browsing the honeymoon destination.

Pre-wedding Ritual

Nishchay Tambulam

If you are the bride-to-be reading this, get ready to receive many gifts from your soon to be in-laws. And, if you are the groom, you will get to see your bride, again through this ritual. The gifts include clothes, fruits, and coconut. The gifts are reciprocated by the brides’ family as well. The entire event is headed by the priests chanting mantras, a plate of betel leaves and areca nuts indicate the official fixation of the marriage.The reason these two are used is that betel leaf indicates the female half and areca nut the male. Together they depict the union of two individuals forever bonding in the marriage.

Nandi

In almost every wedding conducted in India, a special prayer is made to the deity to ensure that the wedding ceremony goes smooth. This ritual is done for the same reason. It is a pooja which is done separately at the grooms’ and the bride’s house. The essential ingredients of this ritual are kalasha and coconut. The kalasha is considered to contain nectar of life, which will bless the couple with health, long life, and abundance. This is when the first wedding invitation is offered to the deity to seek their blessings. It is conducted in the presence of close family members.

Kashi Yatre

This is a fun filled ritual involved in the Kannada wedding. This ritual is for you the soon-to-be-groom reading this. Here you need to pretend to get angry, leaving with an umbrella and a walking stick. You will show this anger, saying that no one is helping you find a suitable bride. Hence, you are leaving the worldly pleasure to take the path of Brahmacharya. This is when your maternal uncle ceases you from traveling, saying that the perfect, beautiful bride has been found for you. Undoubtedly, you leave your idea of leaving the house and come back.

Dev Karya

his ceremony involves following of 2 pertinent rituals. Both the rituals are held at the brides’ and the groom’s house. The first is Ganpati pooja. Lord Ganpati is worshipped to avert all evils and obstacles from marriage. The prayers are followed by applying a turmeric paste on the bride and the groom. Turmeric has antibacterial property and at the same time, it is responsible for that stunning glow on the face.

Wedding

Mandap pooja and Var pooja

Wedding venue or the mandap is purified by the priest during the mandap pooja. A groom is considered the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu on his wedding day, hence, the concept of Var pooja. For, you the groom, your soon-to-be father in law will wash your feet and escort you to the mandap. You will also be presented with a silk dhoti which you will be required to wear post pooja.

Jaimala

The groom will not be able to see his bride until the jaimala. For all you soon-to-bride out there, you are escorted to the mandap with your face covered with a fan of peacock feathers, which is held by your sister. The marriage mantras are recited and a curtain is placed between the face of the couple. As soon as the mantras are done, the curtain goes down. This is when the bride and groom are required to put garland on each other.

Dhare Herdu

This custom is unique to Kannada marriage. In here, the parents of the bride put her hand in the groom’s hand. This is followed by a coconut and betel leaf placed on the top of the hand. Then, holy water is sprinkled with them on top of the joining hands of the couple. The holy water is usually the Ganga water.

Saptapadi

For all you soon-to-be-bride and soon-to-be-groom, this is the final step of your wedding. In this, an end of the cloth which is covering the groom’s body is tied to the end of the bride’s pallu. You both will then be required to circumambulate the sacred fire. This needs to be done 7 times. Then, the groom ties mangalsutra around the neck of the bride. Congratulations, you both are a married couple now.

Post Wedding

Griha Pravesh 

After the wedding, the newlywed is welcomed into the home of the groom by his family. At the entrance, a Kalash filled with rice is kept. And, you the newlywed bride will be required to kick the pot forward with the right foot. This spills the rice grains on the floor. This ritual symbolizes prosperity which the bride is bringing into her new home.

Name changing

For all the soon-to-be-bride out there, be ready for a new name. During this ritual, your better half gets to choose a new first name for you. He tells you the same by using a ring to write it on a rice plate. You are going to enjoy this too.

Rituals have this special quality of adding a lot of depth to the institution of Kannada marriage. You are bound to love it. In fact, now that you know the meaning, implication, and procedure of each ritual, you will enjoy it even more. Do not forget to change your status. Make sure to update your pictures. But, more than that, make sure to live the moment. Smile, laugh and dream about the most beautiful tomorrow.

Have a happily ever after!