Indian weddings are well-known all across the world because of the festivities and joy that they bring. The air in Indian weddings is filled with fun-filled laughter, love, and a lot of enlightenment. Moreover, the vibrant colors in Indian weddings are truly something that grabs attention. The decor, the flowers, the bride, the groom, and their relatives, everyone adorns outfits of vivid colors that add to the embellishment of the wedding.
South Indian weddings are the true example of an Indian wedding because of their rich culture and traditions that are followed for centuries. Right from the detailed outfits to the food and rituals, everything in a South Indian wedding is unique in its way. This is why a lot of people from other cultures love attending these weddings. You can also hire a Destination Wedding planner in Kerala to organize the perfect South Indian wedding for you.
South Indian weddings are also known for the attire the bride and groom wear on the wedding day. The traditional south Indian bride adorns gold jewelry on the big day. Unlike other weddings where the bride wears a necklace or two, in weddings of the south, the bride is decorated with gold. At the very least four or five necklaces are worn by the bride in addition to matha Patti or bindiya. Some brides also wear jewelry to decorate their hair. Moreover, a stomach belt, bangles, rings, and earrings are also part of the bridal jewelry. This jewelry is often in gold, but a lot of contemporary brides prefer wearing diamond jewelry as well. As for the outfit, the bride puts on a simple Kanjivaram saree with a golden border while the groom may in most cases wear a plain white shirt with a lungi.
Traditions and Functions in South Indian Weddings
Talking about weddings of Southern India, you must know that these weddings are also famous for their amazing traditions and functions. From day one to the day of the wedding reception, every function and tradition in a South Indian wedding has its significance. Most of these traditions are carried out to bring joy and prosperity to the new couple’s lives and keep away any evil spirit or bad luck that may cause hindrance. So let’s discover some of the most beautiful traditions carried out at a wedding from the south:
1. Haldi
One of the popularly known traditions in any Indian wedding is the Haldi ceremony. The bride and the groom are treated with the application of haldi or turmeric paste before a day or two of the wedding. The ceremony involves the couple’s family members applying haldi to the bride and groom one by one. Haldi ceremony is a fun tradition in South Indian weddings as the families also apply haldi to each other and hence, have a good time celebrating the onset of the marriage. Hire a destination wedding planner in Kerala to plan the best haldi ceremony.
Apart from the fun, applying haldi also has great significance. The paste purifies the body and removes dead skin cells, hence reveals fresh and glowing skin. This is why haldi is mainly applied to the bride and groom before the wedding.
2. Gauri Puja
Gauri Puja is one of the significant traditions in a south Indian wedding. It is carried out by the bride’s family wherein the bride offers puja to the Goddess Gauri who is known for her purity and chastity. Hence, this tradition is followed to ensure that the bride’s life is prosperous after her wedding.
The bride is gifted a colorful saree by her uncle during the ceremony. Other gifts and blessings are also exchanged during Gauri Puja.
3. Kashi Yatra
The tradition of Kashi Yatra means that the groom pretends to leave his house and every otherworldly thing to move to Kashi and gain more knowledge about life. While the groom does this, the bride’s father or uncle explains to him about marriage and why he should get married. The groom then agrees to marry the girl.
4. Mangal Snanam
Mangal Snanam is the tradition where the bride is bathed with holy water on the day of the wedding. This ceremony takes place in the morning hours. The bride’s mother and other married women in the family apply turmeric paste and pure oil on the head, face, and body of the bride and then bathe her with the holy water.
The significance of this tradition is that it is believed to purify the bride and bring good luck in her married life. This tradition can also be carried out for the groom on the day of the wedding.
5. Malai Maatral
This is a fun tradition that involves the bride and the groom exchanging garlands three times. However, the fun part is that they try to avoid getting the garlands around their neck by moving hence both the bride and the groom have to try hard to put the garland around the spouse’s neck.
These were some of the most beautiful traditions in a South Indian Wedding that the whole family enjoys. There are ample wedding planning companies that offer perfect wedding planning services for you. So the next time you search ‘Wedding Planners near me’, you should know that there are several expert wedding planners that will help you organize the most perfect South Indian wedding.
