Vaarum my dear nadha song

This is a custom nalangu song sung by the girl during Nalangu in reply to the vaadi vaadi song

Vaarum my dear naadha
Nalanguku tharum Beautiful padham (2)

Madras park fair-il madhana ummai kondu
My father motherku solli marriage settle seidhen (vaarum)

town-il special bungalow vaanga venum
muzhudhum electric fittings aagave hall-il
sofa table spring kattilgaludan
Nilaikannadi beero vendum

Hindu Express and Madras Mail
Times of India Mukta bazaar
paper dhinamum varavazhaithe vegu shokkai
padikka vendum

Aanandha bhavan naam sella vendum
special-il tiffin-um kolla vendum
naazhigal aayitru paadham tharum my dear prana nesane..

Gowri Kalyana Vaibogame lyrics

This song is sung when the viradha bakshanangal (delicacies made for the fasting ceremony) are kept in the groom's house:

க்ஷேமங்கள் கோரி விநாயகனை துதித்து
சங்கரனையும் கெளரியையும் வர்ணித்து
ஸ்ரீ ராமனையும் ஜானகியையும் வர்ணித்து

கௌரி கல்யாண வைபோகமே
லக்ஷ்மி கல்யாண வைபோகமே

வசுதேவ தவ பாலா
அசுர குல காலா  (2)
சசிவதன ரூபிணி
சத்யபாமா லோலா (2) (கௌரி கல்யாண )

கொத்தோட வாழைமரம்
கொண்டு வந்து நிறுத்தி (2)
கோப்புடைய  பந்தலுக்கு
மேல் கட்டு கட்டி (2) (கௌரி கல்யாண )

Kshemanghal kori Vinaayakanai Thudhithu 
Shankaranaiyum Gowriyayum Varnithu 
SriRamanaiyum Janakiaiyum Varnithu 

Gowri Kalyaana VaibOgame' 
Lakshmi Kalyaana VaibOghame 

Vasudeva dhava Bhala 
Asura kula Kala (2)
sasivadhana Roopini 
Sathyabhama Lola (2) - Gowri Kalyaana.. 

Kothoda Vazhaimaram 
Kondu Vandhu Niruthi (2)
Kopaiyudaiya Pandhalukku 
Mel Kattu Katti (2) - Gowri Kalyaana

Here is the rendition by Sudha Raghunathan

Sri Raama Jaya Lyrics

This song is sung when the elders apply oil to the bride and groom before the marriage

ஸ்ரீ ராமா ஜெய ஜெய
சீதம்மா மனோஹர (2)
காருண்ய ஜலதே
கருணா நிதே ஜெய ஜெய

தில்லையில் வனம் தனிலே
ராமர் வந்த நாளையிலே
ராமரோட சேனையெல்லாம்
ராமரை கொண்டாட

சங்கு சக்ரம் தரித்து கொண்டு
தனுசை கையில் பிடித்து கொண்டு
கோதண்டம் தன்னை பிடித்து ராமர்
கோலாகலமாய் இருந்தார்

ஜனகரோட மனையில் வந்து
சீதையுடைய வில்லை முறித்து
ஜானகியை மாலையிட்டார்
ஜனகர் அரண்மனை தன்னிலே

Pallavi

Sri Rama jaya jaya,
Seethamma manohara ,
Karunya Jaladhe ,
Karuna nidhe , jaya, jaya


Charanam

1.Thillayil vanam thanile,
Ramar vanda naalaiyile,
Ramaroda senayellam ,
Ramarai Kondada


2.Sangu Chakram tharithu kondu,
Dhanusai kayil pidithu kondu
Kodandam thannai pidithu Ramar,
Kolakalamai irundhar


3.Janakaroda manayil vandu,
Seethayudaya villai murithu,
Janakiyai malayittar,
Janakar aranmanai thanile

English translation

Pallavi

Victory, victory to Sri Rama,
Who has stolen the mind of Sita,
Who is the ocean of mercy,
Victory , victory  to the treasure of mercy.
Charanam

1.In the forest of Chidambaram,
Sri Rama came in the evening,
All the army of Sri Rama,
Kept on praising him

2.He came wearing the conch and the wheel,
He came holding the bow in his hand,
And holding the KOdanda,, that Sri Rama,
Was happy and great.

3.He came to the house of Janaka,
Broke the bow belonging to Sita,
And married the daughter of Janaka,
In the palace of Janaka.


Here is Sudha Raghunathan's rendition of the same:

Nichayathartham aka Engagement

The first ritual in the process of marriage is celebration of the Nichayartham (settling the marriage). There are two types of Nichayarthams. The first one is a legal contract between the families of the groom and the bride which is entered into by the elders of the family well ahead of the marriage. The second Nichayartham is a religious ceremony and usually takes place on the day prior to the Muhurtham. 

The dates of Nichayartham as well as marriage are chosen based on the birth star of the girl. Nichayartham is usually held in the evening hours in the house of the girl or a relative of the girl’s parents or in a community/public hall. Only the very close relatives take part in this function. The groom’s parents buy a silk sari as well as an item of jewellery for the girl. They also bring trays bearing fruits, dry fruits, candy, sugar etc. The number of trays is expected to be an odd number – usually 15 or more. 

The religious part of the ceremony is brief. The priests from both sides sit with the elders of the family of both the bride and the groom and draw up the ‘Lagna pathirigai’ (wedding card) for the bride’s as well as the groom’s side. This is written inTamil and mainly shows the date and time of the Muhurtham. The time within which the main ritual of Muhurtham has to be completed is called Muhurtha Kalam, which is three and three fourth Nazahigai (Nazhigai is an ancient measure of time and each Nazhigai is 24 minutes thus making the Muhurtha kalam to be one and a half hours). Other details like place of marriage, the Acharya (teacher) of the family etc. are also shown in the ‘Lagnapathirigai’. 

The ‘Lagna pathirigai’ is then exchanged by the parents of both the groom and the bride. The ‘Lagna pathirigai’ forms the basis for printing ‘Manjal Pathirigai’ which means ‘yellow card’ and is not to be confused with an yellow journal! This is the wedding invitation printed in Tamil with yellow background on one side and in English or Tamil with red (pink)  background on the other side. Yellow and red are auspicious colours. Usually this card is sent to all elders. In the olden days, the groom was not expected to attend this Nichayathartham. But nowadays, the groom also takes part in the function for whom the girl’s parents buy a set of new clothes.  After the exchange of ‘Lagna pathirigai’, both the boy and the girl are formally presented to the relatives of both sides and receive their blessings. 

Pen parthal aka meeting the girl

Once you are past the horoscope matches, and the eligibility checks, you then get to the stage of visiting the girl's family.

This custom has changed a lot from yester-years, now it is a matter of the boy meeting the girl at some cafe and exchanging views about marriage, on topics of mutual interest, and what-not, and deciding if they are the right match.

The traditional pen parthal involves the boy's family and his close relatives visiting the girl's house. The girl's family prepares a sweet and a snack to welcome the boy's family. The idea behind this procedure was to understand each other's family well, and to discuss things in their entirety. For example, what the family customs are, and their practices, their relatives, heredity etc are discussed to decide on the compatibility. Sometimes these things are important because, if the girl's family happens to be modern and the boy's family happens to be way too traditional, there may be difficulties in the girl adapting to the boy's family. To iron out these problems, the pen parthal occasion serves as a good platform for initiation of a wedding prospect.

Another aspect in this occasion is the boy talking to the girl in private. Actually this is what has evolved into the cafe meeting of the current century. This is more about understanding each other and weighing personalities between the boy and the girl.

Some families decide and let know each other later after this ceremony, and some families make a decision immediately and exchange mutual consent. Since this ceremony is the stepping stone of a marriage, it is given its due importance.