Kerala weddings — the vocabulary, the three main traditions, and how to behave as a guest so that nothing you do needs explaining afterwards. I am Dr. Reshmi R. Nair, an applied linguist from Kerala. I have taught hundreds of learners to speak Malayalam as it is actually spoken. THE WORDS കല്യാണം - kalyanam - wedding. From a Sanskrit root meaning auspicious or beautiful; in Malayalam it narrowed to mean exactly this. വിവാഹം - vivaham - the formal word, used on invitations and in newspapers വരൻ - varan - the groom വധു - vadhu - the bride ചെറുക്കൻ - cherukkan - the boy, which is what families actually say പെണ്ണ് - pennu - the girl, likewise മണവാളൻ / മണവാട്ടി - manavalan / manavatti - bridegroom and bride, the poetic pair THE APPARATUS കല്യാണക്കുറി - kalyanakkuri - the invitation പന്തൽ - panthal - the temporary pavilion put up for the event മുഹൂർത്തം - muhurtham - the astrologically fixed auspicious moment at which the central act must occur താലി - thali - the pendant tied round the bride's neck സദ്യ - sadya - the feast സ്വർണം - swarnam - gold THE THREE TRADITIONS, IN OUTLINE A Hindu Kerala wedding is famously short — the core ceremony is often twenty minutes: the muhurtham arrives, the thali is tied, a cloth (പുടവ, pudava) is given, garlands are exchanged, and then everyone eats. Economical with ceremony, extremely generous with food. A Syrian Christian wedding is a full church liturgy. The bride receives a മിന്ന് (minnu), the same idea as the thali but marked with a cross, and a മന്ത്രകോടി (manthrakodi), a silk garment placed over her head. A Muslim wedding centres on the നിക്കാഹ് (nikkah), the contract, with the മഹർ (mahar), the groom's obligatory gift, which is hers. In Malabar it carries its own tradition, including ഒപ്പന (oppana), and a distinguished wedding cuisine. Across all three, two things are constant: very large numbers of guests, and gold. Have you been to a Kerala wedding? Which tradition? Comment below. #LearnMalayalam #Kerala #Malayalam