Wedding ceremonies differ throughout the world, as every culture has its own traditions and customs. Likewise, Tamil Christian marriages in South India blend Indian and Western rituals. Indian Christians, still very much attached to their Indian culture, have fused some Western customs as well. As in other Indian ethnic groups, Indian Christians do sometimes opt for traditional arranged marriages, but that trend is slowly changing as the present generation chooses their own life partners.
Indian Christian weddings are different than what it is shown in English movies. Many people assume that in few minutes their rituals get over but that’s not the truth. So figure it out for yourself, how a Tamil Christian matrimony looks like!
- Tamil Christian wedding rituals are not short
Hollywood has made us believe that Christian weddings are the shortest in the world. The bride and the groom exchange vows, slip the ring on the finger, kiss and they are done. In about Fifteen minutes and you are married! This could be true in western culture, but in India, the entire process takes about an hour or more. It’s an entire mass and the ritual goes on for long. If the couple chooses to only exchange the vows, then and only then the wedding ends within fifteen minutes or so.
- It’s not always a dreamy ivory wedding gown
There has been a popular belief that Christian brides always and only wear a gown at their weddings, but the fact is that many don’t. It all depends on the culture and on the preference of the bride. There are many brides who wear a sari even with a veil for their wedding and carry the outfit gracefully.
- Mehndi Ceremonies
Yes Tamil Christians perform Mehndi Ceremonies too! So don’t be shocked next time when you attend a Tamil Christian wedding. Many Tamil brides prefer to get a mehndi art done on their hands before the wedding.
- The church offers the declarations
In most Tamil Christian matrimonial the bride and the groom do not write their own oaths. The church already has a pre-written set of oaths for the bride and the groom since centuries and most couples only recite those.
- It’s not ‘kiss the bride’
You have watched this in movies and it excites most people because no other culture allows this. But the reality is this doesn’t happen. Just in case you thought that you will get to see a newly married Tamil Christian couple kiss, then you have highly mistaken. Few do it, some choose to kiss on the cheek and many don’t.
Thus anytime you attend a Tamil Christian wedding, don’t expect that you will get to go all dreamy like what it happens in romantic Holly movies.
