Anuradha Silva
Sri Lanka is a land of beautiful dreams. Its history, culture and traditions remain, even today, to be some of the most unique. If you are not a Sri Lanka, you might not fully understand those customs. Nevertheless, you will be fascinated by them. Listed below are some traditions and facts connected to present and past weddings in Sri Lanka.
Majority of young Sri Lankans find partners themselves yet when girls and boys are of marriageable age, some parents seek out suitable partners. The usual requirements matched are caste, religion, social status, descent, profession, assets etc.
The horoscopes of the couple are matched, and if they are compatible, a date is fixed for the groom to visit the bride's home with the detailed facts of the horoscope reading. If their parents and relatives are happy with the background of the bride and vice versa, the astrologers are consulted again to fix date and times for the marriage.
In modern weddings, the wedding feast usually takes the form of a buffet. In the past, however, there was no such thing as a buffet. In some areas, the meal was enjoyed while sitting on a mat and in wealthy homes, a large wedding table is set in traditionally-decorated large tent .
A Poruwa ceremony is regarded as the most important thing of a Sinhalese wedding ceremony, and is full of Buddhist influences. Many rituals takes place on a "Poruwa", a beautifully decorated, traditional wooden platform.
Every wedding in the past had a Mangala Sabhaawa, a gathering of all the family members, to greet the newlyweds. The elders offer blessings, advise them of married life in the form of verses , speeches and stories.
Nowadays, there are two different dates for the wedding and the homecoming. But back then, both happened on the same day. After the wedding the relatives take bride to the groom's house in a ceremonial parade (Mangala perahara) and homecoming starts once the Mangala Perahera reached the groom’s house. Nowadays two different functions are held, usually at hotels.
A few weeks prior to the wedding, the Hindu groom presents a gold coin which is used to fashion the Thaali, (a gold pendant on a gold chain), which is one of the most sacred bridal ornaments worn by the wife as long as her husband lives.
At the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom are showered with grains of rice which symbolize fertility.
