Deborah Chan
Planning an Andhra wedding involves a lot of rituals and traditions. The wedding is officialised with an engagement ceremony called Nischitartham, where the families of the bride and groom exchange gifts, jewellery, clothes, fruits and sweets. The bride and groom wear traditional clothes, with the bride in a cotton saree with a red border and the groom in a white dhoti with a red border. The wedding day begins with a sacred bath and an arti, and the groom pretends to give up on worldly desires and move to Kashi for spiritual enlightenment. A mixture of oil and turmeric is applied to the bride and groom, and they wear new clothes. The traditional wedding menu is served on a banana leaf and includes sweet rice, pooran poli, vada with coconut chutney, tamarind rice, mango curry, and other dishes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Engagement ceremony | Nischitartham |
| Engagement attire | Traditional clothes, with the bride wearing a cotton saree with a red border and the groom wearing a white dhoti with a red border |
| Engagement gifts | Jewellery, clothes, fruits and sweets |
| Engagement rituals | Elaborate Pooja of Lord Ganesh, ring exchange, reading of the ‘Lagan Patrika’ to determine the wedding date and time, signing of the ‘Lagan Patrika’ by immediate family members |
| Wedding attire | Conventional traditional clothes as per the Madhuparkam ritual |
| Wedding menu | Served on a banana leaf (aritaku), including Chakkara Pongali (sweet rice), bobbatlu (pooran poli), gaare or vada with coconut chutney, pulihara (tamarind rice), plain white rice, mango curry, sambhar, pachi pulusu (soup), curd, mango pickle, poornalu (sweet dish) |
| Wedding rituals | Groom pretends to give up on worldly desires and move to Kashi for spiritual enlightenment, wearing new footwear and carrying a walking stick and the holy ‘Granth’; bride's brother requests him to change his mind and promises his sister's hand in marriage; bride and groom take a sacred bath and perform arti with their families |
| Post-wedding rituals | Mixture of oil and turmeric applied to the bride and groom, who then wear new clothes; the groom wears a silver thread symbolising the beginning of his 'grishastha' journey |
What You'll Learn
Engagement ceremony: Nischitartham
Andhra weddings are officialised with an engagement ceremony called Nischitartham. This traditional ceremony involves the entire families of the bride and groom, who exchange gifts of jewellery, clothes, fruits and sweets. An elaborate Pooja of Lord Ganesh is performed, marking an auspicious beginning to the ceremony. After this, rings are exchanged between the bride and groom, and the family pandit reads the 'Lagan Patrika' to determine a good date and time for the wedding. This is then signed by the immediate family members of both sides.
The bride and groom wear conventional, traditional clothes: the bride wears a cotton saree with a red border, and the groom wears a white dhoti with a red border. The ceremony is followed by a feast of Chakkara Pongali (sweet rice), bobbatlu (pooran poli), gaare or vada with coconut chutney, pulihara (tamarind rice), plain white rice, mango curry, sambhar, pachi pulusu (soup), curd, mango pickle, and poornalu (a sweet dish), all served on a banana leaf (aritaku).
The morning of the wedding day, the bride and groom take a sacred bath at their respective homes. The families then perform arti at their places to pray for the couple's blissful married life. A mixture of oil and turmeric is applied to the bride and groom, and they change into new clothes. The groom wears a silver thread, symbolising the beginning of his 'grishastha' journey.
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Traditional attire: Madhuparkam ritual
The Madhuparkam ritual is an important part of any Andhra wedding. The bride and groom wear conventional, traditional clothes. The bride wears a cotton saree with a red border, while the groom wears a white dhoti with a red border. This is the set attire for any Andhra wedding.
The Madhuparkam ritual is performed in the early morning of the wedding day. The bride and groom take a sacred bath at their respective homes. After the ceremony, they are required to wear new clothes. The groom is supposed to wear a silver thread, which symbolises the beginning of his 'grishastha' journey.
The couple's families perform arti at their respective places to pray for the couple's blissful married life. The groom pretends to give up on all worldly desires and move to Kashi for spiritual enlightenment. He wears new footwear, carries a walking stick, and the holy 'Granth' in his hand. The bride's brother then requests him to change his mind and promises his sister's hand in marriage.
The traditional Andhra wedding menu is served on a banana leaf (*aritaku*). The set menu items include Chakkara Pongali (sweet rice), bobbatlu (pooran poli), gaare or vada with coconut chutney, pulihara (tamarind rice), plain white rice, mango curry, sambhar, pachi pulusu (soup), curd, mango pickle, and poornalu (a sweet dish).
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Wedding menu: served on banana leaf
Andhra weddings are known for their traditional menu, which is served on a banana leaf. The menu is a set one and includes:
- Chakkara Pongali (sweet rice)
- Bobbatlu (pooran poli)
- Gaare or vada with coconut chutney
- Pulihara (tamarind rice)
- Plain white rice
- Mango curry
- Sambhar
- Pachi pulusu (soup)
- Curd
- Mango pickle
- Poornalu (sweet dish)
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On the morning of the wedding day, the bride and groom take a sacred bath at their respective homes. After this, the families perform arti at their places to pray for the couple's happiness.
The groom then pretends to give up on all worldly desires and move to Kashi for spiritual enlightenment. He wears new footwear, carries a walking stick, and holds the holy 'Granth'. The bride's brother then requests him to change his mind and promises his sister's hand in marriage.
The groom is supposed to wear a white dhoti with a red border, and the bride wears a cotton saree with a red border. The wedding is officialised with an engagement ceremony called Nischitartham, where the families exchange gifts, including jewellery, clothes, fruits and sweets. An elaborate Pooja of Lord Ganesh is performed, and then rings are exchanged. The family pandit reads the 'Lagan Patrika' and chooses an auspicious date and time for the wedding.
The traditional Andhra wedding menu is served on a banana leaf and includes Chakkara Pongali (sweet rice), bobbatlu (pooran poli), gaare or vada with coconut chutney, pulihara (tamarind rice), plain white rice, mango curry, sambhar, pachi pulusu (soup), curd, mango pickle, and poornalu (a sweet dish).
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Turmeric and oil ritual: bride and groom wear new clothes
Andhra weddings are traditional and ritual-driven. The wedding is officialised with an engagement ceremony called Nischitartham, where the families of the bride and groom exchange gifts, including jewellery, clothes, fruits and sweets.
The turmeric and oil ritual is performed at the groom's place. The bride and groom are both anointed with a mixture of oil and turmeric, and then they must wear new clothes. The groom also wears a silver thread to symbolise the beginning of his 'grishastha' journey.
The Andhra bride and groom wear conventional traditional clothes as per the Madhuparkam ritual. The bride wears a cotton saree with a red border, and the groom wears a white dhoti with a red border.
On the morning of the wedding day, the bride and groom take a sacred bath at their respective homes. The groom also performs a ritual where he pretends to give up on all worldly desires and move to Kashi for spiritual enlightenment. He wears new footwear, carries a walking stick, and holds the holy 'Granth'. The bride's brother then requests him to change his mind and promises his sister's hand in marriage.
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Frequently asked questions
The bride wears a cotton saree with a red border and the groom wears a white dhoti with a red border.
The traditional Andhra wedding menu is served on a banana leaf and consists of Chakkara Pongali (sweet rice), bobbatlu (pooran poli), gaare or vada with coconut chutney, pulihara (tamarind rice), plain white rice, mango curry, sambhar, pachi pulusu (soup), curd, mango pickle, and poornalu (a sweet dish).
The first ceremony of an Andhra wedding is the engagement ceremony, called Nischitartham, where the families of the bride and groom exchange gifts, including jewellery, clothes, fruits and sweets.
