Although several religions have their own customs and traditions when it comes to nuptials; few weddings are as vibrant as those in Telugu matrimonial.
Unsurprisingly a lot of the customs are rites taken on during these weddings have deep religious meaning that adds to their importance.
Most Telugu families refuse to part from their tradition for the ties they have with their propitious rituals.
Take a look at some of the important wedding rituals that have deep spiritual meaning.
• The Auspicious Sumangli Sumangli entails ten wedded females bringing the bride to the mandap with a short puja.
One of the best parts about this function is that it is deemed to be absolute only when women involve themselves in the rite.
The female members of the family are not only involved but well respected within all of the functions and are at par with the male members.
This is an equality deeply woven in spirituality for the age-old customs necessitate their participation.
• Building an Unbreakable Bond with Jeerakalla-Bellamu Similar though they are, Telugu nuptials are quite different from Tamil ones for they are much more colorful and vivacious.
This is a custom that has deep religious significance for denotes an inseparable bond formed between the couple.
The couple takes part in the rite to adorn each other's hands with cumin powder mixed with jaggery to form a paste.
They do this while they are parted from each other's sight with a curtain so that they cannot see each other until the end of the ceremony.
• The Madhuparkam: Symbolzing Purity and Power This is a ritual that quite a few couples enjoy for it entails them both being adorned with light cotton clothing.
While the girl is decked up with a simple cotton saree that has a rich red boundary, the bridegroom has to don a dhoti.
This too has a red boundary for it is customary for the groom to wear traditional attire.
The woman is supposed to symbolize purity and innocence while the male stands for power and strength of character according to convention.
• The Three Knots of the Mangalsutra Rite As convention dictates, the Telugu weddings are incomplete without a mangalsutra ritual.
It is in the course of this custom that the partition between the bride and groom is finally brought down so that they can see each other.
The bridegroom then has to bring forth a thali or mangalsutra that he bestows upon the neck of his wife.
This is a sacred thread that is secured with three knots for each of them have a special significance.
They stand for three essentials of a sound marriage namely a fully psychological, bodily and holy coming together of the bride and groom as a couple before God.
• The Appagintalu or Farewell The final part of the nuptials is the Appagintalu that is quite like a vidaai ceremony; this ensures that the bride is forever a part of her husband's family.
Each of the custom holds such religious significance to symbolize a special meaning to each wedding rite making it all the more special.