Kerala Syrian Catholic Matrimony
The Syrian Christian wedding probably is a beautiful amalgam of Kerala culture—both Hindu and Christian cultures blend to form a truly special Syrian Christian wedding ceremony. The Syrian Christian wedding is an intricate and elaborate affair, with rituals that start many weeks in advance.
The initial steps unlike in other Christian sects, the initial proposal of marriage begins from the bride’s end, through elders, relatives, friends, or matrimonial site. Once the alliance is accepted by the boy’s side, a function called urappeeru or kalyanamurappeeru or kalyanam urappu or nishayippu (confirming/fixing the wedding) takes place. Male members from the groom’s side of the family go the bride’s home for this purpose.
The third Sunday after the urappeeru is fixed for the engagement or manassammatham, where the bride and groom proclaim their consent for the wedding.
Syrian Christian’s Wedding Eve
The day before the wedding is filled with many ceremonies and rituals, which are both entertaining and significant in their own might. Sadly, some of these rituals have vanished in modern weddings, with the youth either ignorant about such, or choosing not to follow them. On the wedding eve, there are separate events that happen at the bride and groom’s homes, at the bride’s the ceremony is called mailanji where the bride’s hands are beautifully decorated with mehendi or henna after which she goes for her ceremonial bath. At the groom’s home, a barber is called who shaves off the groom’s beard, after which he too goes for his ‘bath’. All these rituals are accompanied by light hearted teasing and banter. The whole set of rituals that mark the wedding eve are collectively referred to as madhuramvekkal. The groom and bride are given palchoru (rice in milk) by the elder sister of the bride or groom as part of the ceremony. A variation of this is giving bananas dipped in sweet juice or Palmyra syrup, blessed by the priest.
Syrian Christian’s Wedding Day
On the wedding day, bride and groom set off from their homes after offering prayers. The groom is dressed simply and elegantly in a mundu and a white shirt. He also wears a golden cross on his chest. The bride is usually dressed in a white saree. Some brides however do opt for white gowns for their wedding ceremony. Throughout the ceremony, the bride and groom clasp their right hands together which represents their mutual consent for the wedding.
The wedding rituals are conducted by the priest who presides over the wedding and the bride and groom exchange wedding bands. The most important part of the ceremony is of course the tying of the sacred minnu or taali which is a small leaf shaped pendant with the holy cross on it, around the bride’s neck by the groom. For an Kerala woman Christian or not, the taali stands for the eternal bond of marriage. The minnu is threaded by the grooms sister on a strand taken from the manthrakodi. The manthrakodi is a gorgeous silk saree that the groom gifts the bride, which represents that he shall take care of her from then on. The manthrakodi is usually in shades of red which is a symbol or prosperity and fertility. The priest receives the manthrakodi from the groom and drapes it over the bride’s head, proclaiming them man and wife.
After the ceremony in the church, the man and wife then proceed to a special pandal or stage. In recent times, this has been replaced by proceeding towards an auditorium or hall. The bride in the meanwhile changes from her wedding attire to her manthrakodi. Relatives and friends of the newlyweds offer sweets to the couple blessing them a happy and prosperous life together. This is followed by a wedding feast in all its splendor by Syrian Christians in Kerala. Later, the bride is welcomed to the groom’s home in all her finery.