Christian marriage is that sacrament which builds up the community of the Church and of society. Marriage has been inscribed in creation's design by God, and, by his grace, countless Christian men and women have lived married life fully. – Pope Francis Be it the fairy tale princess wedding or the elegant beach wedding, every girl dreams of her big day. Dressed in beautiful white attire and covered in a veil, she walks down the aisle towards her groom. As they stand amid friends and family, they step together into a new path of their journey. Deep-rooted in traditions, the Marthoma Matrimony is a blend of Christian rituals and Indian traditions. Marthoma Brides are treated as queens by their family. The wedding festive goes on for two to three days with various rituals for both the bride and groom’s families. The Marthoma bride’s family hosts the Betrothal ceremony, where both the bride and groom announce their consent for the marriage. This is followed by many rituals of significant relevance on the wedding eve. These ceremonies are considered as some of the best memorable moments in a Marthoma bride’s life.

The Wedding Eve For Marthoma Bride is very Special...

The Marthoma brides have the Mylanchi or Mehendi function on the wedding eve. For the function, the elder women in the family apply henna on the bride's palm and feet. This is very similar to the North Indian traditions in India. In the Knanaya marthoma matrimonies, this represents the cleansing of the bride from the original sin one by Eve. The marthoma bride is cleansed from her ancestral sin as she is bathed and changed into new clothes.

The Mehendi ceremony is followed by the sweet giving ceremony. The Marthoma bride is given a sweet rice pudding by the elders of the family. The rituals of the wedding eve signify that she is ready to be the Marthoma bride. Knanaya Marthoma brides mostly dress up in white saree for the matrimony representing the traditional Indian wear. Before the bride leaves her home for the ceremony, she gets blessings from the elders of her family and offers peace blessings to all.

During the wedding ceremony, the groom ties the Minnu or the Mangalsutra, which is a common custom in Kerala weddings. The Marthoma brides are presented with a Manthrakodi (saree) by the groom. The bride changes into the attire for the wedding reception.