TAMARANIAN WEDDING HEAD CANNONS!
This oneās for you, @gaddaboutgriffon !
A traditional Tamaranian wedding lasts at least two days, but in the case of royalty, the festivities can last over a week. The wedding I am about to describe is strictly a royal wedding.
DAY ONE: Spent in solemn silence, accompanied by the wearing of veils and hoods and the clanging of bells to ward off ābad luckā and āevil spirits.ā The bride and groom also do not see one another on this day. If they do, they must ācleanseā themselves of the bad luck by bathing in the local hot springs (said to have mystic properties) and eating nothing but tutka (a type of root plant) for the next 24 hours.
DAY TWO: Before the day of the actual marriage ceremony, there is still more to do. On this day, everyone in the bride and groomās inner circle (friends, family, and important people) gather for the pre-celebrations. The bride and groom are allowed to see one another, but are still forbidden to touch. During the celebrations, the groom and his groomsmen (of which there can be as many as thirty) must perform a traditional song and dance to honour the bride, and bring āgood luckā to the marriage. This is typically followed by everyone beginning to dance together.
Once all the guests are sufficiently tired from dancing, the Great Feast begins! This meal symbolises the coming together of the two families of the bride and groom. Itās also, wellā¦ have you seen the episode of the OG Teen Titans show where Star gets betrothed and thereās a wedding ceremony? The meal they share? Yeah, itās that. Chaotic, every man for himself, fun times.
DAY THREE: The morning is spent performing the painting ceremony. The bridesmaids and the groomsmen must paint the bride and groom with the traditional iconography of the Tamaranian royal household all over their bodies. This honours the past generations of royalty, as well as representing good luck, family, and blessings on the bride and groom. *cough cough* fertilityā¦ This painting ceremony can take several hours, depending on the designs chosen, and the skills of the men and woman involved. Then they are both dressed in white to symbolise purity, and both types of wedding garb are meant to elevate each person to their most feminine and their most masculine. (This is said to bring good luck to uhā¦ well, fertility, againā¦)
BONUS: Now, here is a tradition that has no strict time/place in the ceremonies, as it involves a little bit of cheekiness. See, from the beginning of day two, all the way to right before the marriage ceremony commences, the bride will be in danger of ābeing stolen.ā The groomsmen, bridesmaids, family members, and/or other friends just might come and whisk the bride away from the groom (all in good fun of course) prompting the groom to find and ārescueā his bride often by paying a bribe of alcohol or something sweet. Lol. This doesnāt usually happen during a royal wedding, as itās considered awfully silly, but there have been a few exceptions over the centuries.
Still on day threeāafter the painting ceremony is finished, the bridesmaids and groomsmen switch places in preparation for the next phase: the parade! The bridal party rides through the capital city in a massive parade where thousands of citizens have gathered to celebrate! The groom is escorted by the bridesmaids, to protect him from other women who might try to steal him away, and the groomsmen do likewise for the bride. (Youād be surprised how many times a ruffian has tried to carry off a Tamaranian princess during the parade.)
The procession arrives at the royal ācathedralā (for lack of a better english word) and then they must all wait for exactly one minute past midday to begin. At the altar, the officiator asks the bride, groom, and their parents to follow him into a special private room where an intimate and sacred tea ceremony takes place.
Following the tea ceremony, the couple and their parents return to the altar for the rest of the ceremony. The bride and groom exchange sacred vows, then the āveil of purityā is wrapped around them, to ensure the coupleās love and loyalty toward one another.
After this lengthy ceremony, the wedding party is expected to shout for joy in honour of the newlywed couple, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen lift the bride and groom up together on a special palanquin and carry them to the Great Hall where the Second Great Feast takes place. This time, it is the duty of the groom to go and collect food for his new wife by fighting the other men for it! This is his first task as a husband, and his first test of strength. Also at the second feast, there are more traditional dances, for more blessings on the couple and to ward off any remaining evil spirits.
The night concludes with the bride and groom changing into a second pair of wedding clothes and performing another ritual dance: the dance of undying love. š„°
Finally, they change into their departing garments to leave the celebration, and on their way out they are showered with a spray of alcohol, a barrage of feathers, and a storm of flower petals, all tokens of good will and blessings upon them. Where the bride and groom disappear to, no one is allowed to know, and they might not return for three months or more.
Fittingly, while the couple is away, the party-goers eat, drink, and make merry for days on endābasically until the food runs out.
And thatās it. :) Thatās my take on a Tamaranian royal wedding. Hope you enjoyed!
