Roopa & Sree
Sunday, Oct. 24, 1999
Washington, D.C.

The Ceremony

The wedding ceremony prescribed by the Nair community
in Kerala is simple and short, but rich in meaning and symbolic significance. Each step has evolved out of centuries of social customs and Hindu religious rituals.
In accordance with tradition, a family elder, Dr. P. Vijayan, not a priest, presides over the ceremony.

The mood is set by nadaswaram, a traditional wind instrument. The ceremony begins as Roopa's mother, Jayasree, fills the para, a barrel, with grain and a coconut blossom on the mandapam, the dais.

Women dressed in traditional clothes welcome the bridegroom with ashtamangallyam, a sacred lamp, and thalam, brass plates with several auspicious objects.

Roopa's brother, Srinath, garlands Sree, and Roopa's aunt, Ratna, applies sandalwood paste on Sree's forehead.

Sree, accompanied by his parents, Lekha and Sreeni, and uncle, Mohan, circles the dais and pays respects to his parents and elders. On entering the dais, he invokes God's blessings by praying and offering flowers to the lamp. He sits on the right side of the dais and awaits Roopa's arrival.

Roopa is led to the dais by her aunt Ratna, and sister, Deepa, and her sister-in-law, Deepa. Women with thalam precede them. She circles the dais, pays respects to her parents and elders and pays homage to God by offering flowers to the lamp. She takes her place on the left side of Sree, in accordance with the Hindu belief that woman
is man's vamabhagam, the left side.

The most important part of the ceremony, talikettu, tying of the sacred tali or mangalsutra¾ the pendant that represents marriage¾ follows. As the music reaches a crescendo, Sree ties the tali around Roopa's neck, assisted by his cousin, Sunita. Flowers are showered on the couple. Roopa and Sree exchange gold rings. The couple exchange garlands. Roopa garlands Sree first, reminiscent of the ancient system of swayamvaram, in which the bride chose a groom from a group of gathered suitors.

Sree gives Roopa a set of traditional clothes, symbolizing
a pledge of support for life. Roopa's father, Unnikrishnan, performs the kanyadaanam, giving away of the bride, by placing Roopa's hand in Sree's right hand.

The ceremony concludes as Roopa and Sree circle the
dais three times, embarking on their journey together.

Emcee: Bina Menon