13.  The Festivities

Unlike these days the couple were taken in procession to the home of either the bride or the groom.  Normally it is the groom's house.  Bride's mother and the Groom's mother normally would not go to the Church  but stays home preparing the home for the new couple to come in.  The Bride and the groom are received by the mothers and the members of the household with lighted oil lamps.  The traditional Nira Para (Full Measure of Rice) and Nila Vilakku ( Tall Bonze Oil Lamp with many Wicks) and Thala Poli (Flower Tray with lighted oil lamps), Kindi(Water jug of Bronze), Muram (Woven Matted Vegetable Tray with produces) are always present.  The Kurava (A noise of celebration) is a right the Syrian Christians inherited through an edict of Perumal, the King of Chera. It is a privilege only of the High Class Hindus which is shared by the Christians.

The Festivities take place usually at the front yard of the house which is prepared with a cover  to protect from sun and the rain and is elaborately decorated with leaves and flowers and cloths. The couple  is received and seated at the center of the audience.  The guests of then received with the elder of the incoming family given the VIP seat.  The VIP seat is called Vella and Karimpadam (A black blanket covered with a white sheet).  He is the chief guest.  In olden days the seating was on the floor covered with mats.

The couple is given sweetened milk by the mother or some elder women of the family as a welcome.  Then the couple is excused with the permission of all gathered to enter into the bride chamber.  This is obtained by Priest who presides asking the community for it.  The couple symbolically goes into the house.  The feast starts then.  The traditional Syrian Christian  marriage feast did not allow any form of wine or hard drinks.  The feast consisted of traditional Syrian Christian food laid on plantain leaf.  Here again it is a practice handed down to us that the edge of the lead be bend to double the leaf.  A Syrian Christian has a double share whenever he or she attends a festival as per the edict and privilege given by the Kings of Kerala.  If two leaves and double quantities are too much, we still do not want to forget that privilege.  As a symbol the leaf is bend down at the edge and doubled.

The members and relations of the host family sits down only after the guest family and their invitees are fed and leave the place.