Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

As is common in India, in Kerala the marriage rituals differ in accordance with religious groups. Even within communities there are dissimilarities. In Hindu families on the day of marriage the bride and groom visit their respective temples and pay obeisance to family deities. Both are dressed in traditional attire, the boy in Kasavu Mundu and the girl in a Pattu Sari with matching blouse, bedecked with gold ornaments. The marriage ceremony is extremely brief, consisting only of an exchange of rings, garlands and bouquets, followed by the groom tying the taali (a sacred gold thread) around the bride’s neck; all these rituals are to the accompaniment of auspicious music. The ceremony ends with a purely vegetarian feast, the sadya (traditional meals) which is hosted by the bride’s  family.

Groom tying the taali around the girls neck.