Malayalee weddings are known for their grandeur in the form of the gold worn by each and every person in the hall, leave alone the Bride! The women (Mostly, the older generation), play the game of who’s worn the most expensive sari and who’s worn the maximum amount of Gold in the hall. Not just among themselves but they’ll compare each and every person in the hall. They’ll find out who are the next most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. They classify the eligible ones under the basis of: 1. Education,
2. Salary- though it’s a wonder how they know it better than the people who are working,
3. Family income- in the form of property and the like (popularly called “Sothe” in Malayalam.)
4. Dowry expected
5. Family line
No one now is bothered about anything else, before with the oldest generation (i.e.; Our Appacha’s and Ammachi’s times), People were a bit bothered about how the girl and boy looked, whether they are loving and kind. But alas, even after looking into all those detail’s, once there is the union of two souls, there is also the union of the “Sothe”- from both the sides. Sometimes, not all the times, certain people get a bit too greedy and something’s they don’t deserve they take over. Not bothering about the state of affairs of their parents! But that’s that about the inside affairs of the Great Indian Mallu wedding!
Every wedding is always a grand affair, so is it with us. It is just not any different. We enjoy it in the most homely manner with the selection of clothes for the Bride or the Groom, the selection of that Wedding invite which people would feel so welcomed with. Gold shopping. Bride and Groom’s parent’s clothes shopping, the clothes shopping for each of the direct extended family. Shopping for the Bride and the Groom, when they go meet relatives, when they go on their honey moon. Shopping is fun, though it involves getting into a million shops! The number of shopkeeper’s we would have irritated, the number of salespeople we would’ve driven crazy with our wants. We come back home tired and still find a moment to laugh about how we drove those people crazy.
The getting dressed up for the wedding starts almost a month before for the entire family, with a few exceptions. The amount of cameras clicked, to relive those lost moments when we feel lost and lonely. The putting in of ideas for decorations, gifts, food and lots more! The writing of toasts and the Google searching of ideas to make the wedding an extra special affair for the entire family! The togetherness starts a few days before D-day, there are a number of last minute activities we do on those last few days! The screams across the house, the tidying up for that last dinner party which will be thrown by the Bride’s and the Groom’s side!
This is one of the only events which brings the entire family together- we see relatives we have never seen before, we see the happiness in each one’s face, the joy of just being together, the “being yourself” attitude being brought out from the depths! The pulling of the Bride’s and Groom’s leg, wondering what kind of terrorists the other family would be. (No offence, to be taken in the funniest form)
And on D- day, we see a myriad of emotions again… the bride and the groom will probably have never imagined such a perfect day or such a scary day or I don’t know, I’ll fill you on details when I get married. There are a number of photographs taken of the entire family with the bride and the groom, the Priest prays at the Groom’s and the Bride’s place. (Different one’s of course) The Bride is blessed by the Uncle’s in the family. The car, so carefully decorated soon drives into Church, the relatives shush as the Most Beautiful Girl and the Most Handsome Boy emerges from the car. They are of course, the stars to be admired for the day!
Back inside the church, Mother’s sit with their eligible sons and look out for eligible daughter –in – laws. To which we just, act as if nothing happened and smile at their interaction! The ceremony is the most purest form of love! Nothing could ever beat its purity! Sometimes the ceremony just drags that our minds are drawn to what there will be to eat! Hoping our favourites would be there!
Alas, this is the Great Indian Mallu Wedding!
