KARNATAKA TRADITIONAL WEDDING RITUALS

 KANNADIGA WEDDING RITUALS

The majority of weddings in the state of Karnataka are straightforward ceremonies with a strong emphasis on customary traditions and little showmanship. When it comes to marriages, Kannadigas like to follow long-standing customs. In Karnataka, the rites vary a little bit depending on the area and the community, but the fundamental format of the entire event doesn't change. Kannada weddings last only a few hours and share a lot of customs with other states like Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Kannada weddings often last between one and two days and are held during the day. The wedding customs for a Kannada wedding are listed below.

 

Nischay Tamulam 

 The horoscopes of the prospective bride and husband are matched during an arranged marriage. Only when all the stars are perfectly aligned and indicate a happy and successful future are wedding dates set. A platter of betel leaves and betel nuts is offered in exchange for the parents' approval of the match. The kadda term for an engagement ceremony is nischay tamulam. Bride's residence is visited by the bridegroom's parents, who present her with a saree, blouse piece, coconut, and sweets. The parents of the bride also pay a visit to the groom to deliver gifts such dhotis, coconuts, fruits, and sweets. During this occasion, the priest typically chooses the wedding date.

 

Naandi 

 The Naandi ritual is conducted at both the bride and groom's homes a few days before the wedding. In essence, the family priest does a puja to ensure that everything goes smoothly during the wedding ceremony. The wedding festivities start when a coconut is placed on top of a traditional copper pot called a kalash that is filled with sacred water. The pair will be granted a life of abundance, health, wisdom, and longevity as a result of this ceremony, which uses a pot to represent a pot of Amrit or the Nectar of Life. During this rite, the Almighty is given the first wedding invitation in the hopes that he will grant the soon-to-be couple his blessing and remove all barriers to their union.

The groom pretending to become irate because no one is looking for a suitable wife for him is a truly entertaining ceremony. He threatens to leave for the Kashi pilgrimage with a walking stick, a dhoti, an umbrella, a fan, food like a coconut, and some rice in addition to his family. The groom's maternal uncle intercepts him as he is about to leave the house, persuades him to stay, and introduces the girl who had been selected for him. Additionally, it is common on sometimes for the boy's maternal uncle to propose his daughter as a suitable bride. After learning this, the groom decides to return home to wed his girlfriend.

The groom visits temples in his area on the day of the wedding as he is leaving the house to ask for blessings from all the gods. To obtain Lord Ganesh's blessing and sanctify the items, the items that will be utilized during the wedding are placed in front of him.

 

TRADITIONAL WEDDING COSTUMES 

When it comes to wedding clothes, Kannadigas strictly adhere to tradition. The groom dons a white veshti or dhoti that is worn around the waist in traditional south Indian fashion. It could be made of silk or plain cotton and have thin, elaborate borders. The veshti is worn with a white kurta or sherwani, but the groom is required to wear an angavestram—a similar white silk scarf—during the wedding festivities. He is required to wear a Pheta or Pitambar, which can be white or orange in colour and resembles a turban.Prior to the wedding, the priest in a temple must bless the groom's stick, which he carries in his right hand. In Karnataka's Baliga culture, the groom dons a matching Veshti and Valli. Along with the Pheta, he wears it with a white shirt.

 

The bride's bridal outfit is extremely decorative. She is dressed in a classic Naavari saree that measures 9 yards. Along with the saree, they are similarly attired like a Maharashtrian bride, wearing green glass bangles. The bride accessorises with a variety of gold necklaces, jhumkas in her ears, and kamarbandhs around her waist. She does her hair in the conventional high bun and plait style and lavishly accents it with flowers. A white saree with vividly colourful borders is traditionally worn by brides in the Balija culture. Coorgi brides from the Kannadiga tribe dress in vibrantly coloured brocade sarees draped in the traditional coorgi way. A veil is worn by the bride to conceal her head..

Greeting Groom’s Party – The bridegroom and the wedding party are greeted at the venue's entrance, where five married women known as Sumangalis perform an arti for the groom before leading him inside.

Mandap Puja – The term "mandap" describes the location where all of the upcoming wedding's rites will be carried out. Prior to all of that, the priest does a puja to purify both the mandap and the wedding location. It's called Mandap Puja.

Var Puja 

The bridegroom is regarded as Lord Vishnu's reincarnation according to Hindu customs. His adoration by the bridal party is based on this. He is asked to a prominent seat at the wedding mandap and is escorted there by his future father-in-law. The bride's father then washes his feet, and a puja is held in his honour. Additionally, he receives a silk pitambar outfit, which consists of a dhoti and scarf. The garments given to him by the bride's parents will be worn by him throughout the wedding ceremonies..

Jaimala 
 

The wedding mandap is then visited by the bride. She keeps a peacock feather fan over her face to keep it hidden. Usually, she is accompanied by her sister, who is holding a fan made of peacock feathers to cover the bride's face. The bride takes a seat at the mandap, and the bride and groom are separated from one another by a fabric curtain. The opening mantras of the wedding ceremony are chanted by the priest, and then the curtain is progressively drawn back, allowing the couple to see one another for the first time. After then, the bride and the husband exchange three Malas or flower garlands.

Dhareherdu 

Similar to the Hindu wedding Kanyadaan ceremony, this Kannada tradition has been altered to be exclusive to the locals. Right hands of the bride and groom are clasped together, and a coconut and a betel leaf are placed on top of the combined hands. By pouring holy water, ideally from the Ganges River known as dhara, on top of the couple's linked hands, the bride's parents bestow their blessings and acknowledge their approbation of this union.

Saptapadi 

The bride and groom tie a nuptial knot between the ends of their clothing to symbolize the unbreakable bond that has been created between two souls. The pair next performs the Saptapadi rite, which involves seven circumambulations of the sacred fire. The bride walks behind the groom throughout these circumambulations, and they both say the seven sacred vows of marriage. The bride sits on the husband's left after the Saptapadi, and the groom ties the mangalsutra around her neck with the help of five Sumangalis, or married women. The ceremony is now officially done, and the newlyweds stand up to go ask the parents of both families for their blessing.

Post-wedding Rituals

Okhli – In order to build rapport with the newlywed couple, who may be meeting for the first time during their wedding as a consequence of an arranged marriage, post-wedding games are typically conducted among st the members of the two families. One such post-wedding game played by Kannadigas is okhli, which is played while the bride and groom are relaxing after the wedding rites. The wedding band of the groom is thrown into a container filled with milk or colored water. The ring must be extracted from the jar by the bride and her brother.The game is played over three rounds. If the bride finds the ring, it is implied that she will be able to bear any challenges that marriage presents to her in the future..

Vidaai – Before leaving for the home of the groom, the bride finally says an emotional and tearful goodbye to her family and her paternal home. They send her off to her in-house law's with gifts, including a cot, cooking utensils, an umbrella, and sweets, that are needed to establish up a new home. The bride travels to her new home with her brother. He spends the night there before leaving the next morning..

GrihaPravesh 

 When a bride enters her in-laws' home, she is typically greeted with a warm ceremony. Aarti is performed to welcome her into the home by her mother-in-law. The richness of the house is symbolised by a vase on the threshold that is completely filled with rice. The bride is to tip the vessel over with her right foot as she enters, signifying that her presence has multiplied the richness and prosperity of the home, causing the vessel to overflow.

Clothes Presentation Ceremony –The bride receives five sarees as a present from her husband, and she is required to wear one for each of the post-wedding rites.

Name Change Ceremony –

During this ritual, the groom chooses a new name for his future wife and writes it with his wedding band on a plate of rice. The bride acknowledges his offering of a plate of rice as her acceptance of her new name.

Visiting the Bride’s house – On the second day of marriage, the bride's parents visit the bride and husband and take them to their home, where they must spend for at least one night before returning to the groom's home.

Reception – The bride's parents visit the bride and husband on the second day of marriage and take them to their house, where they must stay for at least one night before going back to the groom's house.

Indian weddings wouldn't be complete without food. One could easily assert that one of the main draws at a wedding is unquestionably the cuisine. Actually, Indians are quite passionate about their food and attach great importance to it. Events or gatherings like weddings demonstrate their passion and love for food. The quality of the wedding meal is frequently a determining factor in how well the wedding was organised. While many couples today choose to wow their guests with a multi-cuisine feast, some still choose to return to their roots by having a traditional Kannadiga wedding feast.

Traditional food feast for guest in weddings is following

Sweets: Poori laddu, Nool peni, Padar peni polli or Oppatu, Kesari bath, Kasi halwa, sbakki payasa,

Side dishes: Kosambari, Potato fry, Pacchadi, Pinapple Koju, Palya, Vadai or Curd vadai

Main dishes: Bisibelabath, Puliyogare (Tamarind rice),Wangi bath ( brinjal rice) curd rice, pulao ( vegetable rice)

Breakfast:  Masala dosai, pongal , idli and samabar

 

 

 

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