Author's pov:

The marriage date is fixed exactly after one month from the engagement day.

Both the families are engrossed with the marriage preparations.

The next day after the engagement they began the marriage preparations by making haldi.

In Andhra Pradesh, this tradition is called "pasupu danchadam" (pasupu- Haldi). They will take haldi sticks and grind them into haldi. The haldi which they made will be used during marriage events and pooja ( worshipping).

First Vikram's family completed this ceremony followed by Anu's family.

Both families together selected Invitation cards.

Anu family sent sweets, fruits and gift articles to Vikram's family as it is a tradition that after fixing the marriage dates the bride family should send all these to the groom's family so that they will distribute them along with marriage invitations to their close relatives, friends and neighbours. ( It works the same as return gift during the marriage, in some traditions they will distribute gifts while giving invitations and there will be no return gifts during the marriage.)

Invitations have been sent to all relatives, friends and families.

Marriage shopping is also completed.

Ajay's younger brother Vijay also came to the house taking permission from the college to attend his sister's marriage.

Both brothers are spending time with their sister playing, teasing and pampering her.

Anu's mother and Ajay's mother are taking care of Anu's skincare to make sure she would be glowing on her big day.

Anu's grandmother made sure Anu learned most of the cooking this month.

It's not like Anu don't know cooking. Anu's mother and Ajay's mother made Ajay, Vijay and Anu learn most of the basic cooking while they are leaving for hostels so that they can manage their food if they find a problem with hostel food.

But only Ajay and Anu showed interested and learned many dishes. Vijay used to play and make destruction in the kitchen.

Anu and Vikram started chatted and talking with each other over the phone.

At first, only Vikram used to talk a lot and Anu interacted less but with time Anu also started interacting more.

A small friendship started to grow between them.

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The days went too fast.

Today night is the marriage.

Yesterday night they conducted a small Mehendi function.

Early morning both families elders made Anu and Vikram do a small pooja and light an earthen lamp in the pooja room of their respective houses.

In their tradition, they make sure this earthen lamp stay lighted till the marriage ceremony completes and the couple reaches the house. Especially for this purpose, they will keep a person who will take care of this lamp till the marriage ceremony.

Next both families started the haldi ceremony in their respective houses.

(The haldi ceremony is a little different here on the bride side they will make a bride (pellikuturu) and a small bride, a small girl of below 10 years (Thoti pellikuturu) sit together and they will apply haldi for both of them and give blessings. The same goes on the groom's side there will be a small groom along with the groom. This doesn't mean the small bride and small groom are a couple, it is just a tradition to make a small kid of same-gender sit beside bride and groom.)

They made Vikram and a small boy sit together and started the haldi ceremony.

The acts of these small grooms and bride will light a happy atmosphere.

All started applying a small amount of oil on the head and haldi on both of them.

In the same way, Anu's haldi ceremony also completed.

Later they took Anu and Vikram for the bath.

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After completing the bath, they made Anu and Vikram ready as bride and groom and made them seated on a decorated chair to get the blessings from the elders.

Here also again the little bride and little groom occupy the seat beside Anu and Vikram. These little fellows will also get blessings from the elders along with Anu and Vikram.

All elders started giving their blessings to Anu and Vikram.

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After taking blessing from everyone.

They completed their lunch.

After completing all these.

Vikram and his family started their journey to Anu's village.

Groom's side ceremonies will complete a little earlier as they need to travel to the bride's place.

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Vikram's side reached the guest house in Anu's village which is allotted for them to stay and complete a small tradition.

Anu's parents along with some relatives reach there and invited Vikram and his family to the marriage hall.

Here in the marriage hall, the priest is making Anu do Gowri pooja in the bride's room.

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Hope you all are doing well.

What do you think about the chapter?

Did anyone find all these traditions are so new?

If you have doubts about any of the above tradition feel free to ask in the comment section.

There seem to be some problem with our area network, so if anyone of you find chapter is missing or paragraphs are miss placed. Please notify me.

Please take care. Keep masks while going out. Use sanitisers. Go out, if only it's necessary to go out otherwise avoid it. Eat healthily and stay healty.

Bye. See you all in the next chapter. Take Care.

Keep Smiling.