Weddings in India are known to be grand and beautiful the world over. Many international celebrities have also popularised it by choosing to get married as per Indian customs. However, in India, every community has its unique rituals and customs. For instance, Reddy weddings have their own special wedding rituals. From the décor to the food, everything is different from, let’s say, a Rajput wedding. Are you still wondering what we are talking about? Let’s take a look at some of the Reddy matrimony customs.
Customs Leading to Holy Matrimony
The family priest is called home to decide an auspicious date and time for the couple to be married. This custom is called the Nischithardham. Post this, the bride is given gifts like clothes, silverware or even jewellery from the groom’s family. This paves the way for other matrimonial customs along the way. A few days before the wedding is the Haldipaspu or the haldi ceremony. Both the groom and the bride celebrate it in their own homes, never together.
On the day of the wedding, early morning, the bride and the groom are rubbed with aromatic oils before the bath. This is called the MangalaSnanam. This custom is exciting as the family members get the opportunity to pour water over the bride and the groom’s heads.
The Snathakam is then held a few hours before the main wedding ceremony. It is when the priest ties a sacred thread around the groom’s body. However, the KashiYatra is a really fun custom where the groom pretends to give up on the materialistic world and head to Kasi, where a staunch Brahmana goes to live out the rest of his life in penance. The father of the bride then stops him and dramatically (more like comically) offers his daughter’s hand in marriage.
D-Day Customs
The main customs kickstart with the Kanyadaan. The Reddy style includes carrying the bride in a bamboo basket to the mandap. This is usually done by the bride’s uncles. After some more rituals, the bride changes into a white and red saree. As she walks towards the mandap, she is surrounded by 10 married ladies, six of whom carry plates filled with rice mixed in turmeric, on their heads. The remaining women carry little lamps made from rice flour, sugar and milk. These lamps signify good fortune and happy life, while the rice signifies abundance. Post this, the groom ties the Mangalsootram and holds the bride’s hand while taking the seven pheras. This is mostly when the spectators shower the couple with flower petals galore.
Another interesting ceremony that you may have never seen in your favourite Bollywood movies is the groom slipping toe rings on the bride. This custom is called the Sthaalipaakam. This whole situation is also very romantic. Maybe Cinderella was inspired by this custom. Who knows?
And finally, the groom gifts a string of black beads for attracting positivity into both their lives. It seems like the Reddy bride receives quite many gifts. Almost makes you want a wedding like this too, right? Let’s move on to the final custom.
Post-Wedding Ritual
The final ritual that paves the way for a new beginning for the newlyweds is the Grihapravesham. This custom is one where the bride is invited into her new home, usually by her mother-in-law. A small vessel filled with rice is placed at the doorstep. The new bride must tip over this vessel with her right leg to ring in prosperity.
So, do you think you would want to celebrate your wedding with these matrimonial customs? They are pretty amazing.
