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Wedding garland

24 July 2010 24 Comments

These thick & heavy special wedding garlands are called Kalyana Malai ( कल्याण माला ) in Tamil and are made of mainly rose petals and chopped leaves. To keep them together in this conical shape and to prevent the petals from falling off, they are ‘wrapped’ in threads. You can watch this video how it is done.

@lemonicks.com/Travel

After wrapping up with thread some decorative pieces are being inserted.

There are two such pieces of each garland. Mostly, only one piece is prepared and kept ready. When somebody likes the design, size etc and orders for the garlands, the other piece is made and joined together to form a mala (garland).

@lemonicks.com/Travel

The two pieces of wedding garland, ready to be joined together to form a mala.

All these garlands are made by highly skilled people in Tamil Nadu. Each piece could weigh from a kilogram to several kilograms which can only be lifted by 2 or more persons. The heavier versions are mostly used to welcome politicians and VIPs.
I am sure some of my south Indian readers would already know about it.

Kalyana = कल्याण (Hindi), wedding
malai = माला (Hindi) garland
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24 Comments »

Indrani said:

Neat captures. I hope their tribe flourishes.
Indrani´s last [post] ..410 Bridges in Venice

# 26 July 2010 at 1:21 PM

Kits said:

So I am going to be doing exactly this in like 3 months time. Pretty fotos but when the stuff gets on you god save us I tell ya!
Kits´s last [post] ..All my bags are packed- I am ready to go

# 26 July 2010 at 2:13 PM

Appu said:

I guess every 100 km there is something new within our country to watch to know to talk about And i.e., the best for a traveler.
Thanks for sharing. Keep writing.

# 26 July 2010 at 3:02 PM

Tweets that mention Le Monde – A Poetic Travail » Blog Archive » Wedding garland -- Topsy.com said:

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Nisha said: Wedding garland http://goo.gl/fb/HmTZj [...]

# 26 July 2010 at 3:45 PM

Otrivin said:

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# 26 July 2010 at 7:00 PM

Regina said:

Lovely wedding garland.

Happy new week.

# 26 July 2010 at 7:52 PM

Asia Correspondent said:

How much are the garland?
Asia Correspondent´s last [post] ..Japans exports rise for seventh straight month

# 27 July 2010 at 3:28 AM

yyam said:

How interesting! I never knew what went into such a garland! I just know the garlands look lovely. Thanks for sharing!
yyam´s last [post] ..Party time

# 27 July 2010 at 7:46 AM

V Rakesh said:

Wonderful catch! Rich colours!

Thanks very much for visiting my space and leaving me a comment! Truly appreciate your gesture!
V Rakesh´s last [post] ..Twelve

# 27 July 2010 at 8:27 AM

Bikram said:

Indeed India has such rich heritage , each state rather EACH city has its own uniquness..
Beautiful…
Bikram´s last [post] ..ONE MORE

# 27 July 2010 at 1:41 PM

Arti said:

Very nice pics..
Such a beautiful garland!!

# 27 July 2010 at 9:01 PM

Nisha said:

Indrani,
Thank you.

Kits,
Ha Ha… I would love to see you weighed down with one of this.
Nisha´s last [post] ..Wedding garland

# 27 July 2010 at 10:51 PM

Nisha said:

Appu,
Yeah, you are right. I am still exploring my own country.

Otrivin,
Thanks for this info, I’ll try to do my bit.
Nisha´s last [post] ..Wedding garland

# 27 July 2010 at 10:53 PM

Nisha said:

Regina,
Thank you.

Asia Correspondent,
These smaller ones start from a few hundred rupees.
Nisha´s last [post] ..Wedding garland

# 28 July 2010 at 12:16 AM

Nisha said:

Yyam,
You are welcome.

Rakesh,
You are welcome here too.
Nisha´s last [post] ..Wedding garland

# 28 July 2010 at 12:18 AM

Nisha said:

Bikram,
Indeed. As I was replying to another reader, I am still exploring my own country.

Arti,
Thank you.
Nisha´s last [post] ..Wedding garland

# 28 July 2010 at 12:21 AM

radha said:

Nice pictures. Like someone else has mentioned, must weigh a ton. And the poor bride who would have woken at an unearthly hour would have to bear the weight. Looks good in pictures, but what a relief when it is taken off! But not to detract from the flower sellers skill.
radha´s last [post] ..Family Outings

# 28 July 2010 at 3:39 PM

Le Monde – A Poetic Travail » Blog Archive » Video of Wedding garland said:

[...] is a video I shot on making of wedding garland in south India. You can read the details [...]

# 29 July 2010 at 5:50 PM

Nisha said:

Radha,

Exactly my thoughts.
Did you check that video as well?
Nisha´s last [post] ..Video of Wedding garland

# 30 July 2010 at 11:53 PM