Knanaya Marriage Rites | Kacha Thazhukal | Gift Giving Ceremony

The Kazha Thazukhal or Gift Giving Ceremony is a wedding tradition in which the bride and groom are presented with gifts from their family members in a ritualistic manner. The first gift given is a sari to the brides family by one of the grooms uncles who ties a ceremonial turban and asks the crowd three times if he has permission to start the gift giving ceremony. The first two times the crowd ignores the request stating they cannot hear him and the last they grant permission.

In ceremonial practice the uncle then places the sari in the open palms of the groom, touches the grooms hips, lifts the sari, and repeats this three times. He then removes a piece of jewelry from his body and places it on the groom. After doing so, the sari is moved to the palms of the bride and the process is repeated. After him, other family members of the groom present more elegant clothes and jewelry to the couple and repeat the ritual. This unique custom is supposedly based off of an ancient practice found in the Old Testament.

Knanaya wedding traditions are ancient in origins and are the mixture of Syriac Christian, Judaic, and Hindu ritual practice merged into one alluding to the centuries the Knanaya have lived as a minority ethnic community in India. Each ceremony gives distinct roles to individual family members and is also accompanied by an ancient wedding or folk song characteristic of the Knanaya.

This video was produced and directed by the Vellian Family of the Knanaya Archdiocese of Kottayam. It presents Knanaya wedding traditions in the modern day as well as a historical version of the traditions in elder days with Margam Kali Dancers narrating the ceremony.