Have you ever heard of traditional Tamil Hindu weddings? Or, maybe, you are lucky enough to attend this unforgettable event? If not, Tamil wedding photos of our couple Aphiraa & Daniel, whose wedding took place in the Madison greenhouse, allow you to enjoy this mesmerizing celebration.
So, as already mentioned, our newlyweds chose one of the garden wedding venues in Ontario for their wedding celebration. In their opinion, that place was ideal for their Tamil Hindu wedding and those Tamil wedding pictures that you indeed look at with great pleasure. As for the newlyweds' attire, it's one of the most beautiful outfits I've ever seen, but more details about it you will get later.
Let's figure out what a Tamil Hindu wedding is and why their marriage is so unique. Traditional Tamil Hindu weddings are, in fact, a display of the observance of age-old customs and traditions, although many compare Tamil weddings with a demonstration of luxury and prosperous life. Yes, looking at Tamil wedding photos, one can assume that many are trying to show all their "greatness", but this is far from the case! For Tamils, the spiritual symbolism of the wedding is always in the first place, and everything else is just a vivid addition, the specificity of which is inherent in Tamil Hinduism.
Tamil Hindu wedding is full of funny and exciting moments. Just look at these gazebos, shrubs, and trees. Madison greenhouse indeed resembles a fairy tale that day. The garden wedding is one of the most famous venues in Ontario. It is spacious enough to accommodate a massive number of people.
By the traditional standards by which Tamil Hindus hold their weddings, Aphiraa and Daniel's greenhouse wedding was relatively modest. There were only 135 relatives among the guests. But back to Tamil Hindu weddings. Such a wedding is full of rituals divided into three stages: pre-wedding practices, traditions during the wedding, and post-wedding ceremonies. This Tamil wedding in Toronto was no exception.
The Tamil wedding ceremony is organized at the sacred fire in the morning or the evening. Madison greenhouse is an excellent place for a wedding by these standards. They believe it is the best time to marry in the fall, winter, or spring. Summer is considered not a very favourable period for marriage.
Horoscope compatibility is one of the main requirements for a future happy Tamil Hindu marriage. Horoscopes, or as they are also called, Nakshatras, are compared by Vedic recommendations based on twelve points or portals, such as Nadi, Yoni, Rasi, Gana, etc. Then follows Panda Kaal Muhurtam - a ritual when two families visit the temple, or they can organize a special puja in one of the newlyweds' houses and pray to the Almighty for the wedding to be a success. Usually, such a ritual is performed on the day of the wedding.
There is also a particular pre-wedding tradition: a couple of days before the ceremony, 5-7 married women from the newlyweds' families prepare unique clay pots. They paint them with turmeric and sandalwood paste, then fill these pots with curdled milk, water, and nine types of grains. When the latter germinate, they throw them into a pond. People believe every fish that has eaten a wedding grain will bless the newlyweds.
Traditionally, the bride's dress (sari) is red. Still, there are many shades of this colour in the modern world, so brides use this variety. The primary condition is that the wedding dress should be very bright! You can be convinced of this by looking at our Tamil wedding Toronto photos. Also, beads, bracelets, rings, etc., are mandatory attributes of a wedding dress.
The groom's attire is a white dhoti (clothing resembling a long skirt tied at the hips) and a cape made of airy fabric - angavastram. Also, you can observe Mehendi - patterns drawn with henna on the couple.
On the wedding day, a rite of washing the newlyweds is organized in the early morning. Both families meet in a prearranged and prepared place. The young sit between the older generations on a wooden bench, and the rest of the relatives begin to drench them with a paste of turmeric and oil.
Upon completion of the bath, the bride's mother brings a scarlet or burgundy sari as a gift to her daughter and her future husband - a white dhoti. For vestments, the young go to their homes. After dressing, the worship of Parvati, the goddess of the hearth and family happiness, is performed. To look like a charming bride and impress her lover with her appearance, Aphiraa had to start packing at 2:30 AM. But looking at Tamil wedding photography from Toronto, it was worth it. The bride was unique!
The bride's brothers are the first to greet the young man, and they hang a kind of "insignia" around the neck - a flower garland. After this ritual, the actual performance begins: the young man shows by all means that he is no longer going on a pilgrimage to Kashi. But the bride's father does not leave; he offers his daughter's hand. Some time passes in silence and reflection, but the groom still changes his mind about leaving and returning. The future mother-in-law meets him first and washes his feet with special water in the joy of consent.
The young people exchange garlands of flowers three times during the ceremony, ride the jhula swing, and drink milk with bananas.
The final ritual of the solemn part is the circumambulation of the sacred fire by the newlyweds. Its action happens seven times, while the newlyweds must hold hands, and their robes are tied in a knot. This ritual is called Saptapadi. Then the groom, in the grain of rice and flowers, puts the ring on the toe of the right foot of the future wife.
At the end of all the rituals, the newlyweds' families congratulate them and give gifts. The newlyweds kneel and ask for blessings from the older generation.
Their new married life just has begun.
