Maharashtrian weddings meaning fun filled and have a huge number of pre/post-wedding rituals. Every bride and groom enjoy these rituals to the core. There is one such pre-wedding Maharashtrian ritual which takes place for every bride and groom called “Kelvan”. A Maharashtrian can very well relate to this ritual.
Our marriage took place in Sindhudurg, all my pre-wedding rituals went unplanned. I still regret the decision of not planning any rituals 🙁 Although, I’m happy with my guy and inlaws 🙂
Kelvan is basically a ritual where the bride/groom’s relatives or close friends invite them with their families for lunch with some gifts.
We invited my sister-in-law’s sister for Kelvan. It took place on a Sunday and hence it was a seafood thali. The Kelvan thali is normally served in sweet or vegetarian. The above banana leaf has sweets like pastries, gulab jamun, bananas (Mandatory fruit), and balushahi.
The seafood thali had rice, surmai and prawns fry, bangada fish curry.
My Kelvan was in hurry and the preparations were at my aunts’ place in Sawantwadi. It was goad ghavane meaning sweet crepes made up of coconut and jaggery with banana’s.
It is usually a haldi kumkum and oti bharne session. Oti Bharne is for married women and newly engaged girls. We did the same below. Apply haldi kumkum some rice on the forehead of the girl. Take a coconut with rice and with both the hands give it in the girl’s oti meaning her lap. This is like a Shagun to the would be bride or married women. Oti ritual is mostly in Sindhudurg or any Maharashtrian house. Many of them add a saree with the oti in Kelvan.
Have you ever heard about this ritual before?
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