Why do they blare music with the loudest speakers at marriage receptions?
I have been attending quite a few marriage receptions recently, and at least in the cities not all of them blare the music with the loudest available speakers. But it does happen with quite a few marriage receptions, in South India.
When I was younger, this was even more prominent. A live music band will be performing at the venue of the reception and they’d hire the biggest loud speakers possible so that the entire street gets their free dose of entertainment for that night. In fact the real estate values and rentals around marriage halls are quite less, if you have noticed!
Sarcastically, they’d call it ‘light music’!
The ‘Mangala Isai’ that plays out in the morning is much better. It plays for a short time using traditional instruments like Nadaswaram, Mirudangam, etc just before and after the sacred thread is tied. Perhaps people don’t have much time in the mornings.
But that relative modesty is compensated for, in the evening. From the moment you enter the reception hall, you’ll be greeted with the music, not the host! It seems people use this musical cue to identify marriage halls at new locations. They drive in the direction that has increased volumes of music. So, even if the GPS fails to function, there is no problem!
One gets to see a lot of relatives after a long time during marriage receptions. But you cannot talk much with them because even if you do, they cannot hear! The music is so loud that you can only gesture to each other. Perhaps you can use the 5 second intervals between the various songs to say hi and how are you. Thats pretty much the time you get!
I enquired why they use the Mangala isai, in the mornings. Someone told me that during the time of tying the sacred thread, conversations involving a negative tone should not be heard. Thats why. So, I am guessing maybe thats the reason they use blaring music in the evenings as well? On a hindsight, maybe its good? Maybe we can escape from the judgmental and insanely insightful comments of the relatives 🙂
A second reason it seems, has to do with the status symbol.
“My relative had 8000 Watt speakers for their daughters wedding”
“So how much do you have?”
“Of course ours has to be better than that. I think its 12000 Watts”
12000 Watts?? We used only 10000 Watts for our School Cultural fest in an acoustically designed sound absorbing auditorium that can accommodate far more people than the little reception halls!!
I don’t know how it is in the North India, but from what I have heard I can pretty much picturise a large Discotheque. South India is catching up, and people have already started jiving to the tunes after the elders are sent to eat. Within a decade, I guess we would also catch up 🙂 😉 🙂
Destination Infinity
North Indian weddings are very elaborate DI. Loud music forms a very integral part of it. Now a days discotheques are extremely popular in marriage receptions and I don’t know how but I always find myself standing very close to the speakers on such occasions. 🙁
As long as the selection of songs is good, I really don’t mind the loud music. Its just that one is not able to talk freely with others, in an occasion where we are able to meet them after a long time. I guess the music could be light enough to allow conversations between people.
Destination Infinity
Loud music puts me off completely.. and I usually either run away or hide somewhere if there is loud music around.. but yes, north indian marriages do have loud music bjut not deafening loud, unless one is very close to the speakers.. like Chhavi just said.. he he..
~Punam
http://punamjr.wordpress.com
I was comparing the recent trend of dancing in marriage receptions that is becoming popular in South India too. I guess it is popular in the North?
Destination Infinity
Dancing in front of the baaraathi is surely catching up here. In two of my relatives’ weddings, dance was there. But funny thing is, the band played Hindi songs and not Tamil songs!
Have you noticed one more thing? Nowadays, reception is on the previous day of the wedding, before tying the knot, the couple stand together and take the wishes from the guests! I attended a reception in this fashion and the grand parents and parents of the bride are very very orthodox people!
Whether it is light music or classical music, nobody sits and listens or claps after one song is over. The violinist, Kanayakumari and Vocalist Sudha Raghunathan said that they use these functions as ‘practice time’!
Sandhya my reception was before tying the knot.My murutham was at 2.30AM,so we both took wishes from relatives and friends.Only close relatives were there on my wedding.
I guess in some Telugu communities, the reception is held on the previous day of marriage. And besides, one marriage I attended in Nellore also had the Muhurtham at 1:00 AM. I asked them why they have a reception at that hour of the night, and they say that its because most of the people are business people and they cannot leave the shop in the morning/evening to come for the function!
Destination Infinity
Even I am very annoyed by the loud speakers. Marriages are kind of get-togethers and they spoil it with the loudest music possible… I prefer instrumental music in marriage halls as they will be pleasant.
As you have said, days are not longer before discotheque becomes a norm in our marriages…
This Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was not very recently posted I guess… 😉 🙂
I too think instrumental is the best. But even for that they should reduce the volume. Otherwise there is no point!
Destination Infinity
🙂 🙂 At least to be respectable in the comments I need to update my blog regularyly 😀 😀
found a way to get rid of embarassment 🙂 🙂 phew…
LOL 😀
Destination Infinity
Here in marriages they don’t use loud speakers,maybe that started here don’t know.Its been more than 4 years i attended any wedding reception.
My friends in chennai told me about their weddings and live concert,infact one of my friend’s mom used to sing classical songs at the wedding reception….
My wedding reception didn’t had loud music that was 9 years back….
Not having loud music during receptions in AP is rather surprising. Considering the many wonderful Telugu songs, I mean 🙂
Destination Infinity
During the Ganesh Festival there were educated people who had hired a group of drummers who were outside our window playing deafening drums for several hours! I wonder if these people realise they are harming their own families. It was sad to see small children a part of this hungama. Their ears will get damaged. It has now been scientifically proved that sounds beyond a certain decimal damage the ears. It’s amazing how people just ignore basic health warnings.
They are not only harming their own kids, but a bunch of others kids as well! I guess these people had an aim to make it big at the showbiz and somehow couldn’t make it. So, they are taking their revenge against society by doing such things?
Destination Infinity
I’ve attended many south indian weddings before and I can truly relate to the “loud” factor. It makes it way too festive 😀
Yeah, South India is a bit complex. They celebrate festivals quietly and blare music during receptions!
Destination Infinity
north india is much more .. it comes with DHOL and singing too by humans .. 🙂 let alone the DJ.. dont know which is worse …
It is a ointegral part of a wedding the NOISE but i think nowadays you have to take permission after 11pm not sure …
In the South, since there are some additional functions at 3,4 AM, people stop the music at 11/12 O clock to take some rest.
Destination Infinity
Thankfully our marriages dont have loud music yet. It is quite peaceful in the evenings, no music or dance or anything. But sometimes that kind of makes things boring too,,
I have attended a couple of receptions in Bangalore, and I too noticed that there was no loud music. I thought they were exceptions! Actually, loud music stops conversations and I suspect that its a planned assault. Like the Cell Phone Jammers, maybe this is Conversation Jammer? 🙂
Destination Infinity
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aah! yes, seriously annoying this one
and the status symbol thing – so silly but so true
I think only those people who do not have any sense of status or symbol would want to create artificially inflated status symbols like these!
Destination Infinity
I had strictly instructed my father not to have any sort of music during my wedding!! simply hate loud music!