Indian wedding glossary · Wedding day rituals
What is Kashi yatra?
Also written: Kasi yathirai
Kashi yatra is a playful ritual in many Tamil and Telugu weddings where the groom pretends to leave for Kashi to become an ascetic, and the bride's father persuades him to stay and marry his daughter.
- Who keeps it
- Many Tamil and Telugu Brahmin families, and others who follow the same rites.
- When
- On the wedding morning, after the mangala snanam and before the oonjal and the muhurtham.
About Kashi yatra
What should you know about Kashi yatra?
The groom sets off with an umbrella, a hand fan, a walking stick and a few belongings. The bride's father or brother stops him and promises that married life will be a happier path, often offering him a coconut and new clothes.
It recalls the idea that a young man finishes his studies and must choose between renunciation and family life. Everyone enjoys the drama, and photographers love it.
In the order of functions
Where does Kashi yatra come in an Indian wedding?
On the wedding morning, after the mangala snanam and before the oonjal and the muhurtham.
- Before the weddingFixing the match, the engagement, the date and the card.
- The functionsPujas, haldi, mehndi, sangeet and the family days before the wedding.
- Wedding day ritualsFrom the baraat to the pheras, nikah and anand karaj.
- After the weddingVidaai, the new home, the reception and the first visits.
Planning your own days? The free wedding function order planner puts your functions in a sensible order with dates.
On the card
What do families write on the invitation for Kashi yatra?
Kashi yatra 7 am, oonjal 7:30 am, muhurtham 9:00 to 10:30 am.
Related words
Words that go with Kashi yatra
- Oonjal
Oonjal is the Tamil ritual where the bride and groom sit together on a decorated swing while married women sing songs, offer them milk and banana, and in many families circle coloured rice balls around them to ward off evil.
- Maalai maatral
Maalai maatral is the Tamil garland exchange, where the bride and groom exchange flower garlands three times, often while their relatives lift them up to tease each other.
- Mangala snanam
Mangala snanam is the auspicious bath given to the bride and groom on the wedding morning in many Tamil and Telugu families, after their bodies are anointed with oil and turmeric.
- Thali
In South Indian weddings the thali, or mangalyam, is the sacred pendant on a yellow thread or gold chain that the groom ties around the bride's neck at the muhurtham.
- Nalangu
Nalangu is a set of playful games in Tamil weddings, played by the bride and groom with relatives watching, to break the ice after the formal rites.
Questions
Kashi yatra, answered
What is Kashi yatra?
Kashi yatra is a playful ritual in many Tamil and Telugu weddings where the groom pretends to leave for Kashi to become an ascetic, and the bride's father persuades him to stay and marry his daughter.
Which families celebrate Kashi yatra?
Many Tamil and Telugu Brahmin families, and others who follow the same rites.
When does Kashi yatra happen in the order of wedding functions?
On the wedding morning, after the mangala snanam and before the oonjal and the muhurtham.
What do families write on the invitation for Kashi yatra?
Kashi yatra 7 am, oonjal 7:30 am, muhurtham 9:00 to 10:30 am.
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