PIVOTAL DETERMINANTS THAT ENTANGLE "NAYAR WOMEN" OF KERALA (COMPLEXITIES OF CUSTOMS CEREMONIES & RITUALS)Among the diversified set up of Kerala Society in olden times, the roles of "Nayar Families" were unforgettable. Women in Nayar families had crucial role in maintaining the inherited properties and reputation of their ancestral homes. Festivals and ceremonies linked to those women used to receive great attention and importance in the society. All the major events in their lives, such as attainment of puberty, marriage, pregnancy and childbirth were celebrated with great pomp and splendor. The first and the earliest among such ceremonies of a woman were the ritual marriage.
The ritual marriage was known as "Kettukallyanam". In fact "Kettukallyanam" was a ritual function among other Hindu classes like "Kshathriyas", "Ezhavas", "Aryas", "Pulayas". "Kettukallyanam" ceremony could also be a collective ceremony within various members of the "Tharavad" (house named after the whole family branch) if several girls between the ages 12 and 13 were available. Their marriages were conducted in a common place at the same time. But the marriages begins and ends there itself. The ceremony starts with the bridegroom tying the sacramental thread around the neck of the bride. It was also the custom that the brother of the child-bride carried her on his shoulder to the "Pandal" (pavilion). The bride would be in her wedding shawl called "Mandrakodi". Once the bridegroom finishes tying the thread, he washes his hands, an act that symbolizes his severance of all relationship with the girl whom he had just initiated into "wedlock". The real marriage between this girl and the boy has yet to take place several years later after she attains puberty.
The second important festival in the life of a girl used to be the "attainment of "Puberty ". During the first three days during this time girls were not allowed to come out of the inner chambers of the house. An oil lamp would be lit up and a branch of coconut flowers will be placed in front of the lamp. The traditional belief was that the girl would have as many children as there were tender coconuts in a branch. The third day would be an auspicious day with a feast with all typical items. After that her aunts would take out the girl to the family pond for a ceremonial shower. Then the girl would be asked to site for certain "Pooja"(worship) ceremonies. On the fifth day another ceremony would be conducted to purify her.
The marriage, the third in the series of girl’s rite is the most decisive event in her life. This time the marriage ceremonies are real not the one conducted during the early childhood. The functions at this time in "Nayar Families" are relatively simpler. The function consisted of the bridegroom giving a "Pudava" (dothi) to the bride followed by tying a bridal thread and exchange of rings. Nayar women were not totally restricted from remarriages. But in the case of "Namboothiri" families the over all function used to be different. Instead of giving "Pudava" these functions involve "Kanyadhanam" (father giving away his daughter) and "Saptha Padi" (taking seven steps around the fire by both bridegroom and bride).
The forth-important occasion in a girl’s life was pregnancy. Upon the confirmation of her pregnancy elaborate rituals would be performed. "Puli Kooti Kalyanam" used to be conducted during the early stages of pregnancy. During this occasion the pregnant women would get a chance to demand her taste of choice to be added as items of the fabulous feast.
The fifth and could be the final socially acclaimed ritual function where the girl involved directly would be the childbirth. Of course the marriage of their daughter in particular would the dream come through for all women but that could be considered as the second step of a similar repetition of the same cycle in the next generation. During the wife-hood and the motherhood, women are still considered to be a loving and valuable symbol of a house. She will be in-charge of house keys and responsible to take care of many pivotal day to day domestic affairs. In olden times most of the Nayar wives were leading the role of efficient housewives.
Hari Kochat