Culture

Halad Chadawane And Halad Utarvane From The Pages Of A Maharashtrian Wedding

sushma · July 17, 2020

India is a beautiful country, the fact that it is home to so many different religions points out the fact that there are so many different types of festivals, celebrations, and rituals followed in different parts of our country. Even for weddings, there are innumerable types pf wedding rituals followed in our country which beautifully display the distinctness of each religion and its cultural values.

Marriage is one bond between tied between two people, a bond that signifies love and commitment, isn’t it? When two people tie knots with each other, it just does not tie the couple in an eternal bond but even their families who come together and accept each other’s customs and cultures. Today, I decided to pen down my thoughts on one of the most interesting wedding rituals – i.e. Haldi. I am sure you would be knowing about this in detail but this time I wanted to whiff on the Maharashtrian Special Haldi Ceremony!

Specifically, all Hindu’s follow this pre wedding ritual of Haldi Ceremony. The mixture of haldi, water and oil are applied to both the bride and groom on the morning of the wedding. Sometimes it is even applied a night before wedding, well that depends on culture they belong to. The haldi is believed to bless the couple before wedding and many Indian communities consider it as a shield that protects the newlyweds from any problems. There are different names of haldi ceremony like in Gujarati Culture it is called Pithi, Bengali – Gaye holud, Marwaries – Tel baan, Telegites – Pellikuthuru, Southern states – Arishinda kombu, Uttar kannada- Nandi and Maharashtrian – Halad Chadawane and utaravane

Halad Chadawane & Halad Utaravane – From my eyes

I was born and brought up in Mumbai the city of dream and grew up completely in Maharashtrian culture. Since childhood I have been surrounded with Marathi friends, hence I have a very close connection with the Maharashtrian culture. Born into a south-indian family, I share this very special soft corner for the Marathis and would proudly call myself a Maharashtrian from heart – Yes “Me Marathi”. I have attended many marriages of my Maharashtrian friends and I was always really amazed to watch very beautiful wedding rituals what they followed. Today I would like to share with you all one of my Marathi friend’s haldi function which I had attended long back. Among all other rituals I enjoyed the haldi function way too much.

Halad chadawane, that’s how the Maharashtrian’s call it. The memories of this ritual are precious and very emotional. Also, that day I came to know why this haldi ceremony is so important. The Maharashtrian haldi ceremony is held before the wedding day, haldi paste which is applied with mango leaves on the bride skin, helps the bride skin to glow on her wedding day and as I mentioned earlier it works as a protection shield that avoids any buri nazar. Same goes for the groom’s family, they hold a similar function at their home. Sometimes grooms leftover turmeric paste is taken for the bride and the same is applied to her.

Family, relatives, and special friends all are invited to join this fun-filled wedding function. Elders bless the bride and groom. In a Maharashtrian wedding once the halad chadhawane ritual is performed the bride and groom cannot step out from their home. It is one of the Shastra that they must follow strictly.

For the bride, this ritual is a very emotional capture when the mother applies haldi to her daughter and father watches her with teary eyes – this feeling cannot be expressed in words, all I can say is that this moment is very emotional, precious and unforgettable for every single daughter and her parents.

Surprisingly, while talking to my friends to dig more into this enthralling custom I came to know that Maharashtrians also follow the Halad Utaravane ritual. This was interesting, Halad Utaravane ritual is done on the next day of marriage. During this ritual, the bride and groom sit together and five married ladies (in Marathi called suvasinis) follow the same halad chadavane rituals in the reverse sequence.

Usually during halad chadawane the application of haldi to forehead, shoulders, and feet goes in reverse order. The same is again reversed in the hald utarvane. One suvasini holds a copper or silver water pot and pours little water while others are performing halad utaran. This ritual signifies that now the couple is free to go out and start their happy married life.

In The End…

I feel, in Indian marriages every single ritual has its distinct uniqueness and purity – In the end of which it brings in streams of endless happiness. I hope you all enjoyed reading about the Maharashtrian pre and post wedding ritual Halad Chadawane and Halad Utarvane.

Friends, If you like this article please do share and like… In Marathi : Article avadal asel tar nakki like kara ani share kara……. 🙂

Featured Photo of ‘The Haldi/Kumkum ceremony’ by athreya_krishna under CC BY 2.0

Interesting! Nrityagram Is India’s First Dance Village

Madhurima · June 16, 2020

Miles away from the IT hub of India, there is a village that keeps itself isolated from city life. The hamlet nestles among the last surviving land of the city. Amidst this off-beaten track, there exists culture, rhythm, and tradition. A place where your five senses stay alive! A place where dancers lose themselves in the mid of nature! Nrityagram is not just a Gurukul but the first dance village of India. Here is its introduction.

About Nrityagram: Introducing its cultural aspects

Nrityagram is India’s First Dance Village to Bring Dance and Nature — _{Photo of ‘Nrityagram’ by pupilinblow under CC BY-ND 2.0}

If dance is euphoria, this village celebrates every euphoric sense that this art form comprise. As the name clearly describes, Nrityagram is the dance hamlet in Bangalore. It is the first modern dance Gurukul of the country. The founder Protima Gauri is an Odissi dancer who left Mumbai in the year 1989 and decided to give a new definition to classical dance forms

She who is crazy about dancing will find a natural bliss when performing under the glories of nature. The residential school was founded in 1990. Designed by a reputable architect Gerard da Cunha, the building houses the vernacular architectural design. Much to the knowledge, Indian vernacular architecture is functional and purposed for rural areas. It includes local materials as the raw products for building.

Words from the Founder

When asked about the dance village, Protima Gauri described it as a community of dancers in the forsaking place in the mid of nature. Nothing exists here, except for dance. The place teaches you how to you connect your daily chores with dance. You eat, pray, love, live, imagine, and talk – dance. It is the first dance village of India where you leave your bad qualities behind only to purify your soul through dance.

Dance is a meditation and therapy for them. Small-mindedness, jealousy, and greed, do not have a place in the hearts of dancers in Nrityagram. They believe in supporting each other in the dancing journey and becoming a proficient professional. If you’ve been there, you already know that it’s none other than Nrityagram. And, if you don’t have any idea of the village, here’s taking you in the loop. For a crazy dance lover, she finds her inner peace of mind in the village. Let’s see how you can visit.

A tour to the dance village

Let’s first talk about the tour. It will be a self-guided one. Yes, you can bring a small group to share your thoughts with them. You need to book a tour of 45 minutes. You get the chance to see the campus, watch rehearsals, and explore. If you want to book a ticket for the private performance, then you get a chance to watch Odissi performance for 15 minutes. Also, you can come in a small group to enjoy the diversifying heritage in the studio. You get to watch the respectable performers as well as Gurus of the dance village.

Some dos

Do fix an appointment and visit between 10 am to 2 pm from Tuesday to Saturday
For Sundays, you do not need an appointment
Do not address dancers when they are practising or in the dance hall and have patience
Do visit their official site in case of any query

Some don’ts

Do not take photographs inside
Do not take any videos
The campus is not available for film-shooting
The campus does not offer rental services, so ask the office for rents in close proximity to the place

Summing up

From Lynne Fernandez to Surupa Sen, the journey of this dance village could not be anything more fantastic without these two personalities. While the former one is a famous actress and light designer, the latter is the first student of this Gurukul. Their first international journey in New York made them receive rave feedback. It wins praises from fans and true lovers of dance. Well, you can know further by paying a visit!

_{Featured Photo of ‘Nrityagram’ by pupilinblow under CC BY-ND 2.0}

Chaklang Marriage: The Marriage Custom Of Ahom Community

Meghna · December 28, 2019

A beautiful marriage tradition, celebrated mainly by the Ahom community of all over Assam. Ahom, a well-known dynasty which was able to rule all over Brahmaputra valley for almost around 600 years. The dynasty passed over long years ago, but their traditions are still followed by the people of their community proudly. Chaklang marriage is one of them

In a Chaklang marriage, “siring phukan” i.e. the Ahom priest verbally hands over prayers over the bride and groom. He rewinds the pair about the proud history of their descendants in front of 101 sacred lamps made by clay, known as “saaki”.

In earlier days the duration of the marriage ceremony was performed for 9 days. Now it has been reduced to 3 days.

Rituals before wedding:

The family of groom asks the hand of the bride by sending a gift called “sodhanibhar”, which is comprises of all glorious food items of Ahom community like duck, betel nuts etc. If the family of the bride accepts that, wedding date can be fixed.

1rst day of chaklang marriage:

The day starts with “joron-diya”ritual,where family of groom comes to gift her all traditional dresses and ornaments in front of the society. The ritual is followed by some holy traditional marriage song named as “biyanaam”. After the ritual gets over, bride family welcomes them for a royal lunch.

2^nd day of chaklang marriage:

The second day of chaklang marriage is called as “murot tel diya”.In this particular ritual, the priest worship the God Khoakham and offers him food. The priest goes for fishing to nearby river and the fish caught by him is cooked for the couple.

3^rd day of chaklang marriage:

The 3^rd day is called as “chaklang day” which has plenty of rituals. The day starts with the ritual called “pani-tola”.All the married women of the community go to river with a colorful musical procession to bring water to bath bride and groom. They are seated under “kolgos”(banana tree)and bathed by their senior family members.

After that, Ahom wedding special attires are put on.The bridal attire is comprising of beautiful white and golden riha, sador and mekhela including Ahom traditional ornaments golpota,thuria etc.The attire of groom is a beautiful silk based white dress with a turban.

Once all the rituals are done in their own home,the groom has to go the bride’s home and he is accompanied by his family members and friends.Once they reach,they are welcomed by most beautiful way possible by the family of bride and the groom is requested to sit in front of maral-the main attraction of chaklang marriage,where a rangoli is surrounded by 101 sacred lamps.After the prayers are done, a part of cloth of bride is tied up with the groom called “lagna gathi” and all the people present over there bless them and pray for their long marital life.

After that, two royal rituals are done. The bride picks the “hangdang”(the royal sword) and asks the groom to take it. It means she allows him to protect her family from enemies. Once he accepts that, she gives him “kavas”- a protector weaved by her within a night. It means the kavas made by her with all love and pride will protect him in his bad times.

Then, panchamrita (a food mixture of curd, honey, milk, sugar and ghee) is given to the couple and the marriage rituals ended with playing the dice game-“pasha” by bride and groom.

Featured Photo of ‘Juroon’ by Priyambada Nath under CC BY 2.0

Bengali Aiburobhat – Bidding A Farewell To Your Bachelorhood Life

Madhurima · December 24, 2019

There’s a unique thing about traditional Bengali weddings. Besides being culturally diversifying and vibrant, it holds an aura of pride. A pride that every Bengali girl takes to her would-be’s house! A pride that any Bengali woman would simply love cherishing for her entire life! Celebrating a Bengali wedding with richness of traditions and rituals is indeed a pride, nothing unlike other Indian traditional weddings. Even before the day of wedding, Bengalis follow a set of rituals in their houses. One of the most significant is performing the custom of Bengali Aiburobhat! Just to make sure that their beloved son or daughter performs specific duties and enjoys the new life, the members of family welcomes them to offer the final sending-off feast with bells and whistles.

Before being bride and groom, the ‘aiburo’ or unmarried sons and daughters have their fair share of meals as bidding-farewell treats from their families. So, how does this final feast get served to the young bride or groom? To know more, read on.

Celebrating Bengali Aiburobhat – The Final Meal as an ‘Aiburo’

‘Aiburobhat’ refers to Aiburo (the bachelor) and Bhat (Rice). Traditionally speaking, Bengali Aiburobhat gets hosted by families prior to one day of wedding. However, in the recent years families host feasts for their children two or three days before! And if you’re a Bengali, you might expect your mashi, pishi, kaki, jethi, or others (maternal aunts or paternal aunts) offering you the final sending-off feast prior to one month even! The main point is to offer best Bengali Aiburobhat wishes for post wedding times.

The Importance ‘Bhat’ in an Aiburobhat Menu

The last meal for the bachelor is significant in any Bengali wedding house. And for Bengalis, rice happens to be the staple food that comes with cultural significance too. Symbolized as prosperity, there are Bengali ceremonies associated with the significance of rice! You might have been invited to Annaprasan or Mukhebhat ceremony? And if you were introduced to the traditional rituals there, you know how important the role of rice plays!

Plus, during Bou Bhat, rice is served with ghee by the newly-wed bride. Additionally, during funeral ceremonies, rice is offered with teel to the ancestors. From toddler to bachelors, rice plays an importance cultural role in any Bengali ceremony! Thus, Aiburobhat menu ideas are incomplete sans an inclusion of rice as the main course! Alongside, would-be bride’s favorite foods are served with numerous items including vegetables, fishes, chickens, mutton, sweets, dahi, and more.

Bengali Aiburobhat – Pampering ‘Unmarried’ Sons and Daughters, One Last Time

Bengali people are possessive about their little kids (no offense, please!). And since it is justifiable to be possessive towards your children, celebrating the day with Aiburobhat wishes is a significant affair! The ritual gets celebrated in a grand manner by pampering the children of the houses who are getting hitched! Expect Aiburobhat menu ideas to be massive ones! And if you’re someone tying the knots soon, expect that your Aiburobhat will be huge that might include all your favorite items (all means all)!

It entirely depends of the number of uncles, aunties, and other relatives you have when it comes to how many Aiburobhat Rituals you’d have! You might get all the luckier to receive a beautiful Aiburobhat Saree as well!

Apart from Aiburobhat Saree, brides and grooms are gifted with other necessary items too, like perfumes, watches, gold ornaments (only if you’re very close to the one who is offering you the meal), and more!

After everything else,

Tying the knots isn’t as easy as it sounds. You require the elder family members’ blessings too! And since Bengalis are well aware of that, Aiburobhat becomes a significant ritual for both the brides and grooms!

Featured Photo of ‘The Wedding Day … The Lovely Bride’ by Subharnab Majumdar under CC BY 2.0

Tholpavakoothu – A Famous Shadow Puppetry Form In Kerala

kuntala · November 22, 2019

Tholpavakoothu is an ancient form of shadow puppetry practised with grandeur and galore in the state of Kerala. The inherent reason for performing the amazing art is the ardent dedication towards Goddess Bhadrakali. The show is enacted in the Bhagavati temples in a specially created stage called the Koothumadam.

To understand the essence behind the word Tholpavakoothu, it needs to be split into Thol which signifies leather, Pava meaning a doll or a puppet and Koothu symbolizes a play or a drama. The puppets are made out of leather and are designed skillfully to portray the characters in disguise.

The Origin

The history of Tholpavakuthu dates back to 9^th century AD. As per the myth, it is believed that Goddess Bhadrakali desired to watch the killing of Ravana by Lord Rama. She could not witness the fight since she was defending the world from the attack of the demon Darika. To perform the act of Ravana’s defeat, the puppet show was organized for her. Since then the puppet show is performed in the temples of the Goddess in front of her idol.

The entire story of the grand epic Ramayana was conducted through the shadow puppetry in 21 parts. The locals believe that Goddess Bhadrakali watches the plays every time it is performed in the temples and blesses them.

The Shadow Puppets

The shadow puppets are made out of leather and are hand-painted with natural colours by the artists themselves. The colours used are made out of vegetable dyes for longevity and purity. The height of the puppets is almost 4 to 5 feet and are manipulated by 2 sticks. The epic Ramayana requires 150 to 180 puppets to complete the entire performance. Around 40 artists take part in the act, controlling the movement of the puppets as well as singing and narrating along with them. The puppets are adorned with vibrant coloured costumes as per the characters depicted by them.

The Puppet Shows

Tholpavakoothu is performed in a long stage inside the Devi temple premises in front of Bhadrakali. The stage is essentially 42 feet long and consists of a translucent screen behind which the shadow puppets are placed. Lights are focused on the screen to produce the shadow effect. In order to visualize the shadow puppets, the lights are placed on beams made of wood at a measurable distance from the screen. Traditional earthen lamps are used as lights to create an illuminating effect.

The puppeteers initiate the show with hymns dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali. The shows happen mostly in the evenings. Acts illustrating long tales similar to that of Ramayana often extend throughout the night till early morning. Almost innumerable temples on Kerala host the puppet shows with utmost dedication. The shows are conducted usually between the months of January and May. During Pooram, the annual festival of Kerala, you can also watch Tholpavakoothu shows.

About 21 earthen lamps are used to brighten the screen. It is astonishing to watch the stories showcased by the puppets demonstrating the movements with ease and perfection. The skill of the artists deserves tremendous applause and encouragement as they control the puppets with expertise. The languages used by the puppeteers are mostly Tamil and mixture of Malayalam and Sanskrit. Traditional folk musical instruments are used to create live music during the show. Conch, cymbals, drums, percussions are mainly used by musicians.

The Artists

The puppeteers of Tholpavakoothu need to undergo rigorous training on conducting the puppet shows. They require extensive knowledge of the mythological stories to be enacted in the shows. They have to be well versed with the stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vedas, Puranas, and many more ancient folk tales. The artists also need to master the local languages, Tamil, Malayalam, and Sanskrit.

The person who leads each shadow puppet show is known as the Pulavar in colloquial language. He is responsible for directing the entire performance. Pulavars are scholarly persons with deep knowledge of the ancient myths and legends of India. It is said that a person has to be trained for almost six to ten years to become a Pulavar.

Tholpavakuthu is famous in the districts of Malappuram, Thrissur, and Palakkad. There are over 3000 divine hymns or slokas which need to be acquired by the artists in order to perform the shows. The puppeteers are trained in classical music as well since they are the ones who sing themselves during the performance. In the modern era, the shows are now not only held in temples but in various venues in order to promote the art form. Themes of the puppetry shows have also undergone changes in order to capture the mind of the new generation.

The responsibility lies in us to preserve this wonderful ancient art form. It is a classic example where the cultures of Dravidians and the Aryans bond with each other. The tales portrayed by the puppets impart knowledge on the social and political norms of the rulers and legends in ancient times. Our ancient heritage is embedded within this art form and creates an identity in front of the world.

Featured Photo Of ‘Image of Tholpavakoothu’ By Mullookkaaran Under CC BY-SA 4.0