Weddings have lately been considerably simplified in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border village of Marayur, where a number of people of Tamil origin have been settled for generations.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, when a woman from a village here married someone settled in Tamil Nadu, she would travel to her marital home with her family and relatives the day before the wedding. There, the marriage would be solemnised with fanfare in a town hall or a temple.
Also read | Weddings in the time of coronavirus
“However, when COVID-19 struck, many marriages had to be postponed. When the pandemic continued, weddings were conducted but they became more symbolic, with only the bridegroom accompanied by two or three persons crossing the border at Chinnar. The bride and groom exchange garlands on this side of the bridge and with that, the ceremony is completed,” said Jayan Variath, a local journalist and a resident of Marayur.
After the first such wedding was held nearly a month ago, in all five such marriages have been solemnised in the same way at the same spot.
Permission from the Tamil Nadu government, and a medical certificate issued by the Kerala Health Department to the bride, is prerequisite.
Also read | Couples live-stream intimate weddings under lockdown
Mr. Jayan said marriages involved a great deal of pomp before, and expensive weddings were the norm for both well-to-do and less privileged families.
Also read | A short film that explores the trend of ‘online’ marriages
Munnar Deputy Superintendent of Police M. Remesh Kumar said that all the marriages had followed COVID-19 protocol. Five persons were allowed from each side. The ceremony ended in a few minutes, with much less traffic than the main road normally sees. “It is slowly evolving into a unique style, and the marriage without a religious function has been endorsed by people of different religions here,” Mr. Jayan said.
