Indian wedding glossary · Wedding day rituals
What is Talambralu?
Also written: తలంబ్రాలు
Talambralu is the joyful Telugu ritual where the bride and groom shower each other with rice mixed with turmeric, and sometimes pearls, over their heads.
- Who keeps it
- Telugu families.
- When
- After the jeelakarra bellam and mangalya dharana.
About Talambralu
What should you know about Talambralu?
The couple take turns pouring handfuls of the rice over each other, and relatives cheer on whoever pours more. It is a wish for plenty and happiness in the home.
It is usually one of the liveliest moments of the Telugu wedding rites. Cousins often stand behind the bride and groom with extra handfuls of rice to help their side win. The rice is usually coloured yellow with turmeric, and in some families pearls are mixed in as a sign of prosperity. Guests often join in by showering rice too once the couple have had their turn.
In the order of functions
Where does Talambralu come in an Indian wedding?
After the jeelakarra bellam and mangalya dharana.
- 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 Talambralu?
Rarely printed; it follows the sumuhurtham.
Related words
Words that go with Talambralu
- Jeelakarra bellam
Jeelakarra bellam is the Telugu wedding ritual where the bride and groom place a paste of cumin seeds and jaggery on each other's heads at the exact muhurtham.
- 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.
- Pellikuthuru
Pellikuthuru is the Telugu ceremony where the bride is anointed with turmeric and oil, bathed and dressed for the first time as a bride (pelli kuthuru).
- 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.
- Saptapadi
Saptapadi means seven steps: the bride and groom take seven steps together near the sacred fire, each step with a promise, and in many traditions this is the rite that completes the marriage.
Questions
Talambralu, answered
What is Talambralu?
Talambralu is the joyful Telugu ritual where the bride and groom shower each other with rice mixed with turmeric, and sometimes pearls, over their heads.
Which families celebrate Talambralu?
Telugu families.
When does Talambralu happen in the order of wedding functions?
After the jeelakarra bellam and mangalya dharana.
What do families write on the invitation for Talambralu?
Rarely printed; it follows the sumuhurtham.
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