Tradition : Nair Weddings in Kerala

Malyalee Nair weddings in Kerala are simple and brief. It has few rituals and far lesser religious compulsions. A traditional Nair wedding is conducted in a nearby temple, bride’s residence or in a convention center which is convenient for both the parties.

Pre Nair Wedding Ceremonies

Muhurtham: The parents of the girl and boy exchange horoscopes and if the horoscopes match, an auspicious date or muhurtham is decided upon for conducting the Nair wedding ceremony in consultation with the family astrologer.

Nischayam or the engagement ceremony: This ceremony is to announce, share and celebrate the joyful event of the confirmation of marriage. Horoscopes which have been already compared and approved are exchanged during this ceremony.  During the celebration, there may be a mothiram maattal (ring exchange) ceremony. Gifts are exchanged between the families.
Pre-nuptial blessing of the bride: This function is held at the bride’s residence on the previous day of the Nair wedding. Her close family members and relatives are only invited for the function and a grand fest is organized for them. The bride dressed in fine jewellery and silk saree is made to sit facing the east and she takes the blessings of her elders. A similar function is organized by the groom’s family in his house.

Mehendi Ceremony: This ceremony takes place at the bride’s house where the bride’s aunts apply mehendi on the bride’s hands. This is a much celebrated ceremony.

Nair Wedding Rituals

The most preferred destination to conduct Malayalee Nair weddings is the ancestral house of the bride. Today it is more of a matter of picking a convenient venue suitable for both the families either in a convention center or temple.
Dakshina Kodukkal – Both the bride and bridegroom get the blessings of the elders by giving “Dakshina” 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 Nair wedding.

Nair Wedding Custom

The kalyana mandap should be decorated in a specific way. The sacred arrangements should be arranged with special care as each of these has certain meanings in the Hindu custom.



Kanyadaan

The bridegroom is welcomed to the wedding venue by the bride’s family. The bride’s brother washes the groom’s legs and invites him to the venue. The bridegroom is usually escorted in a ceremonious manner to the kalyana mantapa by a group of girls carrying deepams (diyas) and made to sit in a wooden plank on the right side of the canopy, which is decorated with flowers, fabric, palm fronds and banana stalks. The bride is escorted by her aunt to the mantapam, and made to sit next to the groom, even as the ‘nadaswaram’ is being played in the background.
At the auspicious moment, the family priest performs the nuptial Nair wedding ceremony by chanting vedic mantras and the couple walks around the fire, after which the groom is given the mangalsuthra by his father and he ties the mangalasutra around the neck of the bride to the beating of drums. This Nair wedding ritual is called tallikettu.

Pudamuri

The bridegroom gifts the bride a sari and a blouse on a platter, conveying to her that he will now assume the responsibility of providing for her life. This Nair wedding ritual is called Pudamuri.

The couple exchange garlands accepting each other as life partners. The bride’s father places her right hand in the right hand of the bridegroom, symbolically transferring the responsibility of taking care of his daughter, in holy matrimony. Then they are escorted to a room by their older relatives, who bless them. The guests too follow them and bless them with gifts.

A typical meal in Kerala Nair weddings known as sadya, which consists of 25 items, is served on plantain leaves. Rice, three varieties of pickle, curries and sweets, Avial, toran, olan, kalam, pacchari, payasam, pappads and finally the desert paladaaprathaman or chaka prathaman, form part of the elaborate meal.

 Grihapravesh: At an appointed auspicious time, the bride proceeds to her new home. She takes the blessings of her parents and all elders present at the venue. As she reaches her new house, the women take ‘aarthi’ to cast off evil eye. The bride holds a traditional lamp in her hand and is asked to enter the house with her right foot. The entire house is bright with lamps lit all over the house, considered to be a good omen as the couple starts their life together. This Nair wedding ceremony is called ‘kudivep’. The in-laws give the bride jewels and gifts.