Bride and groom seek blessings - Rituals of Hindu marriages, Kerala

The bride and the groom seek blessings from their immediate relatives before the marriage ceremonies. They also offer Dakshina (gifts of veneration) to the elders.

Traditional Hindu marriages are featured by many such rituals and ceremonies which owe their origin to the Vedic tradition.

The whole occasion is pleasant but tears too find their way in when the marriage ceremonies are over. For the bride and her parents, these are the moments of separation since traditionally, after marriage, the wife should settle with her husband at his home.

Kerala retains many of the traditional Vedic elements in the Hindu marriage ceremonies. Even then, the marriage rituals of Kerala are simpler, except for those of the Brahmin community. Within the state itself, there are regional differences in marriage ceremonies.