Dear Readers,
First of all a very Good Morning to all of you. I hope you are good and enjoying holiday season.
I am back from a Trip to Kerala after a week now and I was not able to post anything during that time, since I was a little too busy with the marriage preparations. But today I am not sharing any recipe or tips, but I am going to share my experience in Kerala and as discussed earlier in my previous post that our intentions through this Blog is not just to share Mouthwatering Recipes from the various states in India, but we are also trying to share information and our experiences from all across India like festivals, cultures, costumes, beautiful places to visit and many more. So here I am with my recent experience in Kerala where I went to attend my Brother-in-Law’s marriage and I hope you love this experience as I share it with you, as much as I did as I went through it.
Here are some interesting facts from Wikipedia about Kerala. Kerala often referred to as Keralam, is a state in the south-west region of India on the Malabar coast. Malayalam is the most widely spoken and official language of the state. Kerala is the first state in India to be recognized as a completely literate state. Onam is a harvest festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, India as per Wikipedia.
Kerala is also an important tourist destination, with backwaters, beaches, Ayurvedic tourism, and tropical greenery among its major attractions. I have visited many good places in Kerala before the trip this time. I will share those experiences and pictures soon.
Kerala produces 97% of the national output of black pepper and accounts for 85% of the area under natural rubber in the country. Coconut, tea, coffee, cashew, and spices—including cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg—comprise a critical agricultural sector.
Now I will tell you about my experience at this marriage in Kerala. I must tell you that the Kerala weddings are very simple than any other marriages. There are not many rituals and customs to be followed and it hardly is a day’s affair without much hassles. The only difficulty we faced was that we had to travel 2 hours from Kollam District to Allapuzza and the weather was also very hot in spite of it being December and most of India experiencing the cold waves. But in spite of the fact that the weather was too hot, I enjoyed a lot and was relieved when the chilled drinks were served after we reached the destination.
The traditional Hindu Kerala wedding starts with exchanging and matching of horoscopes by the parents of the boy and the girl and then the auspicious date of the marriage is finalized. Traditionally the girls wear a Kasavu Saree which is also called as Kerala saree along with ton’s of gold 🙂 (this being a distinctive feature of any Kerala Wedding) and the boy’s wear a Shirt and Mundu.
The stage was beautifully decorated with lamps and lots of flowers. There was no priest or fire since this marriage ceremony was not in a temple. There was one vessel made of brass and copper filled with rice grains with husks. Below are some of the photograph from the engagement ceremony I will soon post some pictures from the marriage as well once I get the photographs.
When we reached, the girl is brought into the hall by her aunts and sisters, carrying lit lamps and a plates of flowers in their hands. Once the boy and the girl sat on the stage, the boy’s parents brought a tali (mangalsutra). Tali is a simple gold chain with a leaf like pendant. The boy (my brother-in-law) tied it around the girl’s neck and as per the custom the boy’s sisters helps in tying the thread (but this ritual was done by me in this wedding because the sisters were not present for the wedding). Then the guy handed over what is called as the “Pudava” to the bride. This is one of the most important aspects of a Kerala Hindu Wedding.
After this process, the girl’s father holds her hand and gave it to the boy, which symbolizes handing over the girl to the boy’s family. This process happens in almost all Hindu marriages in any states. My brother-in-law then held the girls hand, went around the stage three times. And that is where the marriage ceremony ends. At last the boy and the girl received blessings from the oldest members of the family and then the grand sadya was served. And this is what I liked the most in the entire function. The grand Sadya is something that cannot be explained but has to be experienced.
There were lots of different recipes which was served along with payasams which I liked very much. I will surely share those recipes which were served there. While I knew the recipes for most of the dishes, some of them like pumpkin pachadi, and some thoran were new to me which I will have to learn from my mother-in-law (you see that is the advantage of marrying a Kerala Guy) and I will then share it with you.
So after all those enjoyment I am back to Bangalore now and sharing my experience with you. But I must tell you that whenever you visit to Kerala and get a chance to attend any marriage ceremony, then do try this sadya part, I am sure you would love this and do not forget to share your experience with us. And yes, even if you don’t get a chance to attend any marriage ceremony there, you can still enjoy sadya in any good hotel or restaurants there.