Pre-Wedding Rituals in Tamil Matrimony The word Marriage exemplifies the richness and beauty of Indian culture, which

related to the bonds of sanctity, love and commitment between the bride and groom. Indian culture is a pure amalgamation of various religions, communities, languages and customs. The ethics and customs of the communities and religions are unique and are strictly followed by the people of the corresponding communities. Marriages in India are considered as one of the most important tradition, which reflects the cultural richness of the communities and religions. As we all know that the cultural practices of different places in India are different, where the Hindu traditions are prevalent in our country. South India is a part of the country that has very different traditions, and the communities residing there believe in big fat weddings, while strictly following the traditions of their ancestors. Tamil community is one such community that represents a practice, demonstrating the simple nature and beliefs of the Tamil society. Tamil Matrimony highlights the cultural richness of the Tamil community; maintain the distinct customs and rituals, and the elaborated wedding rituals and customs. Tamilians are considered as simple and humble, and this characteristic can be viewed in their cultural traditions, especially marriage. A marriage joins two hearts and their families together, the value of the sacred bond of marriage in India is known by all. The wedding ceremonies are extremely fun and emotion filled for the friends and family members. The customs involved in Tamil matrimony are quite huge, but are very interesting to attend. They are not as lavish in comparison. Due to their focus on all the customs and rituals to be acted upon in marriage, all the distant relatives are welcomed to bless the bride and groom for their future and the ceremony is done over a large scale. Like marriage in other communities, Tamil matrimony is also divided into three phases: prewedding rituals, wedding rituals and post-wedding rituals. The pre-marriage rituals in the Tamil matrimony include distinct routines, which include: 1. Paalikali Thalippu: A custom that involves beautiful decoration of seven clay pots, with sandalwood paste and kumkum powder. The decorated pots are filled with nine varieties of grains, also known as nava dhaanyam and curd. 2. Sumangalai Prarthanai: This is a custom including the process of consecrating the brides. The destiny of the bride and groom are linked, and the wife dying before her husband is considered very fortunate. 3. Kalyanaponnu: It is a custom of sacred bath, which is carried out at the prospective bride and grooms homes. The bride and groom are bathed in sacred water and perfumed oils are applied on their bodies. The bride and groom are not allowed to step out of the house after the ritual of Kalyanaponnu. 4. Some other important customs in Tamil matrimony are Navgraha Pooja, Nandi Devata Pooja, Naandi Shraartham, Vritham, Nicchiyadharatham, and Janavasanam.

5. Mangalasnanam: This is also a kind of ceremonial bath, which is conducted in the wee hours of the wedding day. The bride and groom are blessed with aarthi. The bride and groom are then dressed in their traditional wedding attire. 6. Gauri Pooja: The bride worships privately to Gauri amma. Pada Pooja and Kaasi Yatra follow this ritual of Gauri Pooja. Here start the matrimonial proceedings. The most auspicious moths for wedding in Tamil community are February, March, May, June and November. The time that is avoided in Tamil matrimony are from July 15 to August 15Aashad or from September 15 to October 15- Bhadrapad and December 15 to January 15Shunya. This also applies to Tuesdays and Saturdays, each of which are regarded as unsuitable for marriages. Rashmi writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is Indias fastest growing matrimonial website. Jeevansathi.com helps the users to search corresponding matches from their respective community like Tamil matrimony Chennai, Thevar Matrimony from their online matrimonial and matchmaking services.