CHRISTIAN WEDDINGS IN SOUTHERN CULTURE
Weddings! The very sound of the word ‘wedding’ gives us a joyous bump! What is it about weddings that enthralls and fascinates everyone? Nothing on earth is so merrily celebrated as this union of man and woman in a ceremony called wedding. Through out the world, weddings and their relevant ceremonies differ, as every culture has their own bunch of traditions and customs , based on their ethic origin.
The Bible nestled in the decorated tray
Decorated by us for my nephews wedding
The decorated tray filled with traditional sweets,fruits and nuts
Decorated by us for my sister's son's wedding
Likewise, the christian weddings in South India is a happy blend of Indian and Western customs. The Indian Christians, while still clinging on to their Indian culture have incorporated some western customs as well! This cheerful intermingle of Indo-Western customs reflect on the Indian Christian wedding ceremonies too! But then, Indian Christians are not to be mistaken for Anglo-Indians whose parentages are a mixture of both Indians and British and they just follow only the western culture and traditions.
Well, coming back to weddings, as in other Indian ethnicity, the Indian Christians too opt for the traditional arranged marriages , though that trend is slowly changing , with the present generation choosing their own life partners.
St. George's Catherdral,Chennai,S.India
The church where my sisters ,my nephews,neices and even I got married!
The Bride
The Indian Christian bride wears a white or off white saree with or without veil. The brides maids (again in sarees) and the flower girls dresses match the color decor of the wedding! However ,in recent times many brides are choosing to wear gowns and veils for the church service and then change over to the traditional silk sarees for the wedding reception.
The 'Thali' or 'Mangalsutra' and the Rings
On the Big Day ,a few hours before the church service, the groom's sisters and cousins carry decorated trays containing the wedding saree, the veil, a bible , traditional coconuts, dried fruits like almonds, pista , cashew nuts and Indian sweets to the brides residence and place them in front of the bride. The church pastor who is also present there, blesses the saree and hands it over to the bride. The groom’s group then, leave for the church where he awaits the bride at the church alter.
Bell Shaped Wedding Cake
This bell shaped wedding cake was made by my sister for her son's wedding!
Bride with gown and veil
South Indian movie star Gopika on her wedding day
The Church Service
The wedding service is conducted just like all the christian church weddings in the western countries but the only difference is that, instead of the ring the groom places the ‘Thali’ or 'Mangalsutra' around the neck of the bride amidst the peals of the church bell.(The 'Thali' is a gold chain with a gold pendant in which the symbol of the cross is embedded. A woman wearing a Thali is a sign that she is a married woman.Rings are also sometimes exchanged in church,but ususally rings are exchanged only during the engagement ceremony).Now,the groom pledges the wedding vows holding the gold cross pendant! Another deviation from the western custom, is that the groom does NOT kiss the bride in church as kissing in public is sort of taboo in India!Finally, the church pastor pronounces them as man and wife!
After the wedding ceremonial service , the bridal couple walk down the aisle while the Church Organ plays the ‘Wedding March’ and the congregation shower rice and flower petals on the couple!
Next, there is the usual wedding reception with the usual cutting of the wedding cake, proposing the toast to the bridal couple and no dance.Since the Indian christian weddings are a social event with a huge crowd, dancing and singing are reserved only for the close family members when all the guests leave. After forcing the couple to have a glass of milk and banana ( a custom for prosperity and fertility) the couple leave for their honeymoon! That’s about all regarding the rituals of the Indian Christian wedding in South India!
The bridal couple with the bridesmaids, bestmen and flowergirls!
My nephew's wedding-the maids,bestmen and the flower girls are all my neices,nephews with my children as well!
The Bride in traditional red silk saree for the Wedding Reception
My neice!
The Wedding Dinner
At my nephew's wedding
British Actress Elizabeth Hurley
Arriving for her wedding in saree with son
British Actress Elizabeth Hurley weds in India
Recently the British actress and model Elizabeth Hurley came down to India to celebrate her marriage to an Indian business tycoon - Arun Nayar! She wore the traditional Indian saree for the ceremony. Some of the other celebrities who were fasinated by the Indian saree and draped them are the tennis aces,Serena and Venus Williams , Anna Kournikova ,Helen Mirran and the popular girl band - Pussycat Dolls!
Tennis star-Anna Kournikova
Amazing in saree!
Ace Tennis Stars-Serena and Venus williams
Hmmm...in sarees.
British Actor Helen Mirran
Popular girl Band - Pussycat Dolls
WOW in sarees!
NOTES
- Very similar generally to western weddings
- A mix of western and indian influences
- Different to western traditions, such as forcing the groom to drink milk, similar to other religious weddings in south asian culture
- Kissing in public is sort of Taboo in India so no kissing! Look into taboos in different countries?
- Rings are passed usually in the engagement ceremony and on the wedding day instead the groom puts a 'Thali' or 'Mangalsutra' around the bride to signify she is a married woman
0 comments:
Post a Comment