Wedding Bells!!!

Two days back, I attended a colleague's wedding. Having never been to a Kannadiga wedding earlier, I was very excited at the prospect of seeing how the entire ceremony will be conducted. Although it looked similar to the other Hindu marriages, there were, of course, a few subtle differences. For a start, the bride and the groom had, what looked like little crowns or tiaras tied around their foreheads. The tiaras seemed to be made of some gold and silver coloured paper and ribbons, with little colourful bits sewn all over them. Maybe, the bride and groom are meant to feel akin to a queen and king on the most important day of their lives!!!

The Resplendent Tiaras!!!

For a better part of the wedding, the couple were made to stand facing each other; not, sitting beside each other, like in the above picture. There was the customary chanting of a whole load of mantras, by a semi-clad priest, as is wont in most Hindu marriages. The groom himself, wore, what is called a panche, in Kannada. It is a long piece of cloth that is typically tied around one's waist. However, the groom had even wound it to cover his upper torso. On the other hand, the bride had another saree wrapped around her shoulders, presumably given to her by the groom and his family, in addition to the saree that she had already draped over herself.

Holding Hands...

Soon after we were well into the ceremony, the couple were made to sit beside each other; for the remainder of the ceremony. After the chanting of some more mantras, and amid the music emanating from dozens of myriad instruments, the groom tied the mangalsutra, or as it is more commonly known in South India, the thaali. Being the most important part of a Hindu wedding ceremony, this gold chain, or sometimes, yellow thread, tied around the bride's neck, can be thought to be similar to the wedding band (ring) that is so much a part of many wedding ceremonies, the world over.

As is common to almost all South Indian weddings, the wedding feast was served on plantain leaves. It boasted of a wide variety of dishes, many of which I was tasting for the first time! The dessert, in particular, was something I'd not heard of before! It was a sweet called "peni", which basically consisted of an enormous swirl of vermicelli, liberally doused with large spoonfuls of milk that had been sweetened and topped with pistachios and almonds. Eating the peni was a trifle messy, and what with all of us having tucked nicely into our meals by then, we couldn't take a picture of the enticing dessert!

The Feast (Dessert Missing!)

The highlight of the ceremony, was, of course, the small mementoes that were given to every guest. In addition to the traditional coconuts and sweets that are usually handed out when the guests leave, we were also given small figurines and other delightful artificats, made out of paper and varied decorative sequins, spangles and beads. Obviously, I picked out a cute, pink doll! :-D In the picture here, you also see a basket of flowers and a mini mandap, or the stage on which Indian wedding ceremonies are usually held.

My Doll on the Far Left!

All in all, a delightful wedding ceremony! :-)