Music.

Music takes important place in the traditional Tamil Hindu weddings; specially it is called as auspicious music. In the earlier days Nathaswaram, the Tamil instrumental music groups did has a top place in the Jaffna weddings along with the loudspeaker system.

Loudspeakers used to blare Tamil devotional songs, popular cinema songs and popular movie dialogues throughout the day in the wedding homes of the Jaffna bride and Jaffna grooms. Some time those houses used to put those music for two more days after the wedding day.

Loudspeaker system providers used to bring the microphones too to the marriage function for to provide the sound of Mantra recitation by the Hindu priest and the Nathaswaram instrumental music.

Nathaswaram, flute like wind instrument operated by air going through the pre designed holes to make music by the artist. Nathaswaram music group usually consists of 6 people where there will be one lead nathaswaram artist, supporting nathaswaram artist, two thavil artists (drums made with leather), one timing maker with brass sallari to guide the music timing called thalam and one pitch sound provider to keep the nathaswaram artists in the given pitch.

Well paid Nathaswaram artists should have practiced Karnatic music under a Guru first by vocal and then by the nathaswaram instrument for at least 4 - 5 years. Like wise the Thavil (drummers) artists too must go for years of training in carnatic music specially in Indian Thala timing and Indian ragas along with good physics to play the drums by both hand for around 4 hours which is the normal time for a nathaswaram concert.

But in the weddings normal class artists used to perform for good payment. Those high caliber Nathaswaram artists used to come only for the wedding ceremonies to perform nathaswaram concerts after the marriage rituals. These kinds of artists were supported by the Tamil kings in the ancient times with good salary, living facilites and well respects at the official functions. Most of the nathaswaram artists are brought in the same families that used to dedicate their lives to this instrumental music playing tradition. The music and the playing talents of the nathaswaram and thavil playing are passed to father to son and to his son for generations.

Due to high expenses and because of high volume of sound from the instruments in side the wedding halls, now a days many Tamil families accept one Nathaswaram artist and one thavil artist for the wedding ceremony Two natahswaram artists and two drum artists used to charge US$ 500 for a Tamil wedding ceremony in Colombo in the year 2011.

In a Tamil wedding the nathaswaram artists used to play traditional Carnatic music in the first place till to the Thaalee wearing ceremony and at the time of the Taalee wearing ceremony time they will make bigger drum sound for about one minute to avoid bad sounds and words reaching the newly marrying couple. There after they will paly Nalangu music at the time of the arathi showing time. There after the musicians used to paly popular melodius cinema songs to entaitai the visitors.

Rich familes that used to celebrate the wedding usually presents the nathaswaram artists and the thavil artists with valuable gold presents.

Usually they decorate the nathaswaram with gold medal and cover the artists with expensive silk salvai emboraidaried with gold twains.

In the 1950's and 1960's graet Indian Nathaswaram artists used to come Srilanka to perform in rich Tamil people's wedding functions. Most of
them used to perform 4 - 6 hours continiously for the wedding guests and the newly married couple.

Read more about Nathaswaram in WiKi