In any wedding, finding the right partner through relatives and friends or matrimonial apps like Shaadi matrimonial app is the first step before the actual wedding is fixed. If you have an Indian wedding to attend, it is bound to have a lot of exciting moments along with funny and emotional ones. And if it is a first-time experience for you, it is better to go prepared with the knowledge of what to expect there.
Since India is a country of diverse cultures, each community has its own set of customs and rituals. So, there is a lot you can learn simply by attending weddings for the various communities. In this post, some unique rituals of Telugu Matrimony are being brought to your attention, so you are not bowled over by their serenity and sometimes weirdness.
- Different Kind of Atmosphere
A typical Telugu wedding is focused on spirituality rather than religion. The other outstanding feature is the immense respect shown to women. The ceremony is considered incomplete unless the women are a part of the proceedings. Women are also given equal status in the family life.
The décor in a Telugu wedding is nothing short of dazzling with the backdrop of Tirupati Balaji dominating the gold-decked canopy. The ring ceremony can also be expected to be extravagant, so you can just imagine how the actual wedding would be.
- Interesting Pre-Wedding Rituals
The bride and the groom say goodbye to their single status by taking a scared bath or the Mangal Snaanam. After being bathed by the women of the house, the bride prays to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Gauri. The groom is also prepared for the wedding with the tying of the sacred thread. He offers his prayers to Lord Ganesha.
- The Arrival of the Bride
The entry of the bride into the marriage hall is a sight not to be missed. The gorgeous bride, beautifully decked up, is brought into the hall in a basket carried by her maternal uncles as the groom waits in the mandap. The moment is likely to force you through a bunch of mixed emotions as you watch.
- The Ceremony
For the ceremony, the bride and groom are made to sit on either side of a curtain as the shlokas are chanted. As the muhurtam for Jeerakalla-Bellamu approaches, both of them are handed a leaf smeared with a sticky mix of cumin seeds and jaggery. At the right moment, the curtain is removed and each places the leaf of the head of the other. This ceremony signifies an unbreakable promise that they make to each other.
The bride and groom are made to wear the traditional wedding attire of red bordered white cotton saree and dhoti, where the colours symbolically represent purity, strength and passion. The groom then ties the mangalsutra in three knots signifying the union of mind, body and soul. In another ceremony, the couple pours handfuls of rice mixed with turmeric over each other’s heads as the priest continues the chanting.
The Telugu weddings tend to be long, but if you are involved in the ceremonies, you would not realise the passage of time as the ceremony is interspersed with some fun and games to keep the spirits high.
