Indian wedding glossary · Wedding day rituals
What is Nalangu?
Also written: Nalungu
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.
- Who keeps it
- Many Tamil Hindu families.
- When
- After the muhurtham, usually in the afternoon or evening of the wedding day.
About Nalangu
What should you know about Nalangu?
Common games include rolling a coconut back and forth, breaking a papad on each other's head, finding a ring in a pot and applying sandalwood and kumkum to each other's feet. Relatives sing and tease.
It is relaxed and full of laughter, a contrast to the long rituals of the morning. Many families say the games help the bride feel at ease with her new relatives.
In the order of functions
Where does Nalangu come in an Indian wedding?
After the muhurtham, usually in the afternoon or evening of the wedding day.
- 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 Nalangu?
Rarely printed; families mention it in the day plan: Nalangu 4 pm, reception 7 pm.
Related words
Words that go with Nalangu
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Kangana
Kangana is the sacred thread with small charms tied on the wrists of the bride and groom before the wedding, which they later untie for each other in a playful game.
- Reception
A reception is the party, usually hosted by the groom's family after the wedding, where the newly married couple meet guests, receive blessings and gifts, and everyone shares a meal.
Questions
Nalangu, answered
What is 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.
Which families celebrate Nalangu?
Many Tamil Hindu families.
When does Nalangu happen in the order of wedding functions?
After the muhurtham, usually in the afternoon or evening of the wedding day.
What do families write on the invitation for Nalangu?
Rarely printed; families mention it in the day plan: Nalangu 4 pm, reception 7 pm.
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