People, Customs, Ceremonies & Rituals

Marriage

The marriage ceremony among Nayars was a very simple affair. It was not associated with elaborate procedures prayers and sermons. The function consisted of the bridegroom giving a putava to the bride. The marriages lasted only as long as they were desired by the partners and could be revoked without any legal or religious endorsement. Nayar women were not prevented from having remarriages.

A strange system

 The marriage of the Nambootiri does not involve the tying of the bridal thread or giving of the dhoti. Kanyadanam (giving away of the bride), Panigrahana (holding the hands) and Sapta padi ( taking seven steps jointly by the bride and bride groom  around the fire ) form the rituals of their marriage.

The fourth important occasion in a girl's life was pregnancy. Once her pregnancy was confirmed, elaborate rituals are followed. Pulikuti Kalyanam was a rite conducted during the advanced stage of pregnancy.

Among all Hindu communities except the Nambootiris, cousin marriage was popular. A boy had a rightful claim to marry the daughter of his maternal uncle or paternal aunt. Among some Hindus one could marry one's sisters daughter such as Reddiar's and Tamil Brahmins. Among Muslims in Kerala cousin marriages were not taboo. But the Christians would not marry among immediate blood relations, not from the cousins on either side, maternal or paternal.