Significance of Events & Festivals in Tamil Calendar

Tamil calendar derived from ancient astronomical data, known as the "Tirukkanida Panchangam". This calendar contains a calculation of something over three hundred millions of years for the age of the present earth since sedimentation occurred, and a period of somewhat more than eighteen million years since the first appearance of our mankind. The months of the Tamil Calendar gains more significance and are deeply rooted to the faith of the Tamil Hindus. Some months are considered very auspicious while some are considered inauspicious.

The 10th Tamil month called Thai falls in the mid-January every year. It is celebrated with much enthusiasm among the Tamil Community all over the world. It is marked by gifting new dresses for the family members and offering prayers to God wishing for prosperity among the people for the coming year. The month of Thai and the fifth month Aavani are considered very auspicious and most marriages are usually conducted during those months than the other months of the year.

The fourth month Aadi is considered inauspicious in that usually weddings do not happen in the month. Aadi is also the month of preparation for next crop cycle by farmers. Hence, farming communities avoid major events like weddings in this month. On the contrary (or as advantage) the communities that don't actively contribute/participate in farming - take the advantage of having important functions like wedding in this month. For example, the business community prefers this month for wedding. It is usually the worst month for thriving businesses and recently this situation has changed a lot, as the businesses started providing discount shopping during that particular month. Each Friday of this month is set-aside for prayer and worship. Another important point to note, that for the newly married couple it is an inauspicious month to sleep together. The reason being if the girl who is conceived in this month will deliver the baby in the month of May, the hottest month in Srilanka and Tamil Nadu, India ('Agni natchathiram ' last 7 days of Chitharai and first 7 days of Vaigasi) and it will be tough period for baby delivery.

The fifth month Aavani is considered auspicious among the Tamil orthodox people, and the special occasion of Aavani Avittam marks the month. Each Sunday of this month is set-aside for prayer. The sixth month Purattaasi is auspicious to the effect that, most of the non- vegetarian Tamil people do not eat meat during the month. This faith can be considered much similar to the fasting by Muslims during the month of Ramadan. Each Saturday of this month is set apart to venerate the planet Saturn. The full moon days and the new moon days have considerable importance among the Tamil people. One of the famous festivals, the Deepavali, is celebrated on the new moon day, in the seventh month Aipassi. The month of Aipassi is usually characterized by the North-East Monsoon in Srilanka and Tamil Nadu, which has given birth to a phrase, “Aipassi Adai Mazhai” meaning the 'Non-stop Downpour'.

The Festival of Kaarthigai is celebrated during the eighth month Kaarthigai. Each Monday of this month is dedicated to the worship of Lord Murugan. The ninth month Maargazhi is characterized by the winter in Tamil Nadu, and considered auspicious for maiden women to find their groom. The Shaivite fast of Tiru-vembaavai and the Vaishnava fast of Tiru-paavai are observed in this month. The tenth month Thai is the month of Harvest in Srilanka and Tamil Nadu. The festival of Pongal or Makara Sankranti is celebrated to mark the harvest in the first day of that month. The total number of days in a Tamil Calendar is an average 365 days and day's name is also similar to the western calendar. In temples and for day-to-day purpose 'Vakiya Panchangam' is used and for Astrological calculations 'Tirukanitha Panchangam' is used.

Vismaya Events & Entertainment -The Wedding Planner is based in Colombo, and offers wedding planning services for the entire Island, with a special focus on Colombo and Jaffna. Vismaya offers information on Tamil Marriage Rituals and booking for wedding planning services.

Contact Vismaya on:

24x7 Hotline : +94 779218011 or  Mail : vismaya.lanka@gmail.com

"We create spectacular Events to Remember"

The Wedding Invitations

A wedding invitation announces to the world your happiness. More than just conveying the date and venue of the marriage, a wedding invite is the guest's first introduction to your grand wedding, setting the tone for what's to come, establishing a theme for the wedding and giving a look into your personal style as well.

A wedding invite is an integral part of the wedding preparations. A lot of thought and care goes into choosing the perfect invitation card for the wedding. Traditionally, Indian Tamil wedding cards carried an ethnic look and more often than not, were designed with motifs such as Lord Ganesh, or swastika. But with the changing times, new designer cards have become the popular trend among young couples wanting to tie the knot. These special wedding cards come in all shapes and sizes. Even the papers on which the cards are printed vary from hard to tissue-soft paper. You can choose from a range of innovative designs, fonts and styles for your wedding invitation cards.

Important Information to Include in your Wedding Invitations

Here are some tips to consider when going through your Wedding Checklist and designing the wedding invitations and when sending them out.  This will make the important information on the invitation stand out and easier for your guests to remember.

·         It is a common practice now-a-days to have Indian Wedding Invitations with inserts which include the various events, such as Ladies Sangeet Party, Mehndi Event, Indian Marriage Ceremony or Indian Wedding Reception.  When sending these invites out, colour codes them differently to make sure they have a title on the top.
·         Include a contact email address, land line, and mobile numbers for attendees to reach you.  If you want you can add a Facebook page also.
·         Use different fonts to highlight important features of your event on your Indian Wedding Invitation.
·         Keep your Wedding Invitation simple with the basic information, less is more.  Do run it by your elders as they may to give their input, as always.

In Sri Lanka most of the Wedding Planners will arrange the designing, printing as well as the distribution of your wedding cards as well as for other pre marriage functions too.

Vismaya Events & Entertainment have tie-ups with premium and exclusive wedding card designers who would design the perfect wedding invite for such a special occasion. The distinctive textures, attractive colours and unmatched finish of Indian wedding invitations provided by our designers will provide an additional charm to the wedding.

Vismaya Events & Entertainment is based in Colombo, and offers wedding planning services for all of Srilanka, with a special focus on Colombo and Jaffna. We offer information on wedding invitation and online booking for wedding arrangements and services.

To book the services, or for more information:

24x7 Helpline: +94 779218011

Mail: vismaya.lanka@gmail.com / vismaya@asia.com

Vismaya make your Dream Wedding come Reality without any stress.

Beach Weddings in Sri Lanka

Weddings in Asia are known as a larger than life affair. Big venues flood of guests, sumptuous feasts, music and dances, are all factors contributing to the general image. However a certain pattern has set itself into conventional weddings. Guests come, meet, greet, eat, dance and return to their respective homes. This set pattern makes the whole ceremony boring. Why not make your guests feel pampered rather than just being invited?

Sri Lanka is a little island located on Indian Ocean and it has lots of very beautiful beach locations and its amazing place to arrange your dream wedding. It's a small miracle and Sri Lanka has different traditional and cultural wedding sets. Some of the popular tourist spots in Srilanka are hosting weddings big and small. Without any doubt, western and eastern shores are the favourite destination for domestic as well as international travellers. The best time however is between October - March, when the weather is cooler, when the country is blooming with various festival celebrations and when you can experience the true flavours of Srilanka.

While you plan to get married ashore, here are few of the points that you should consider:

• The concept involves presence of few but special guests, perhaps all in sync with a unique dress code.
• Guests accommodation should be given due importance.
• On time transfers, pick and drop of guests should not be delayed at any point of time.
• Meals should cater to both domestic and international guests.
• Guests should be treated with regional music and food.
• Beach wedding dress is different from any other wedding. None of your guests should feel out of the place.
• Destination weddings also give the opportunity to explore the area. Therefore, the sightseeing should not clash with any of the ceremonies.
• Each ceremony should be given a different theme to make the event more enjoyable & memorable.
• Your invitation, gifts and theme should have a local feel to introduce your guests to the destination.

Sri Lankan has an illuminated proud history and Sri Lanka has a unique and its own different traditional cultural system when we compare it with the other countries. In a Sri Lankan wedding it has few cultural symbols which show the uniqueness. Not only the cultural background as well as the other elements likes weather, people, animals, places and all.

Vismaya arrange all the related services to your wedding including beach location, accommodation, food & beverages, costumes, designs, photographers and honeymoon tours according to your request. All you have to do is contact us and let us know how you like to have your dream wedding. Then we will be able to arrange your dream wedding as the way you wish. Feel free to contact us at any time for further information about our services. 

24x7 :  +94 779218011                 

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( Photos courtesy of Maalu Maalu Resort & Spa in Pasikuda, Eastern Province ,Sri Lanka)          

Destination Weddings in Sri Lanka

If you're looking for a unique way to say "I do" while surrounded by your closest friends and family members, a destination wedding in a romantically exotic locale is ideal. Having a destination wedding allows you to exchange vows in a stunning paradise. Whether you envision your ceremony on a white-sand beach, overlooking gorgeous mountain ranges or in a beautiful garden, the options for destination wedding locations are as limitless as your imagination. Destination weddings allow couples to have intimate celebrations with just a few guests or a larger wedding with as many as 200 friends and family members.

A destination wedding allows your guests to relax and visit with you leisurely in the perfect setting over three or four days. Your guests will warmly remember your wedding for years to come. Destination weddings are typically less expensive for couples than traditional celebrations. Guests usually pay for their own travel and accommodations, leaving the bride and groom only responsible for the cost of the ceremony, reception and their own travel costs. Destination weddings can be as lavish or simple as you desire and there are endless options to fit all budgets, from a luxurious reception in a ballroom to a casual beach party.

Sri Lanka is a fast growing paradise for young couples and those young at heart to celebrate their weddings, anniversaries and honeymoon. A paradise island with, a perfect beach, or a mountain range with a river side or a beautiful garden it has all the convenient spots if you are looking for ideal destination wedding in Asia. With exquisite comforts and an astounding tropical backdrop Srilanka is one of the most romantic places to make the best day of your lives a dream come true. Sri Lanka has been named among the top five destinations in Kuoni's annual poll of where UK and North American customers want to spend their holidays .Sri Lanka also retained the number one destination for weddings, according to the report. Whether you plan an intimate gathering or a large lavish banquet, you can have all your requirements.

While a destination wedding is a unique alternative to a traditional wedding, it is most successful when planned by an expert, as destination weddings require considerable planning and research. We work with all Hotels, Resorts and Villas to plan weddings for non Sri Lankans who wish to have their destination weddings planned in this Paradise Isle.

Excellent service and personalized events are what we “Vismaya” has perfected. For more information Call us or Visit:

24x7 info: +94 779218011                    Mail : info@vismaya.lk                     Web : www.vismaya.lk

We look forward to making all of your wedding dreams a reality.

Kids’ Birthday Party Themes

Your kid's birthday is coming up, and you're fresh out of savvy ideas. Sure, you could just invite over a bunch of children to run around in the backyard like every other parent does, but you want something cool and unique to make your little one feel special. Birthday party themes can take a lot of work out of planning a birthday party. Choosing a theme makes decorating, games, and even the food much easier to pull together.

From pirates to princesses and many more in between, or you can put together themes that will create a wonderland for your child. They can be transported back to prehistoric times with a Dino Party, transformed into royalty as a Princess or a Queen, or participate in the Winter Olympic Games. Each theme has food ideas and game suggestions so you don't have to plan out anything except a timeline for putting on a fabulous party for your birthday child.

When choosing a birthday party theme, involve your child. A theme can be tailored to your budget with incredible results no matter how much you spend. Whatever birthday party theme you choose, make sure to take lots of pictures and most of all have fun. That saying about "they grow up so fast" is true. Birthday parties are the milestones to enjoy along the way. A fun, thoughtfully planned party will mean far more to the guest of honor than the amount of cash you spend on it.

Hosting a birthday party for your child can be a piece of cake with us. All of our birthday party themes are appropriate for young children—and they’re easy to do. Call us to find a birthday party theme that's perfect for your child!

Vismaya Events & Entertainment

Web : www.vismaya.lk

Mail  : info@vismaya.lk

Tips for Planning a Beautiful Wedding on a Reasonable Budget

The Asian weddings are known for their spectacle and greatness. Also, it has now become the norm for brides to contribute to their wedding fund. Putting two together, couples today have to host a grand wedding event with 1000 odd guests and pay for it. Here are some tips to make this work without drilling a major hole in your pocket,

Prioritize Your Wedding List

Make a list of key wedding elements that are really important to you. With your partner, discuss the list and eliminate items that you could do without. The point is that, it is your wedding day, and you will be too busy smiling for photographs and greeting guests and feeling too squiggly to be bothered about that orchid centerpiece that turned out to be blush-pink instead of baby-pink. Invest in a good photographer who will capture moments that make for memories, or a great makeup artist who can make you look like a princess in those memories. Once you have revised your list, set a budget and stick to it.

Plan Your Wedding During Off-Peak Times

Now this is a trick that will work if you don’t have important family members living abroad as the wedding season coincides with the holiday season .You can save a lot of money by opting to tie the knot on a summer’s day in April, or a breezy beautiful afternoon in October.

Rethink Your Guest List

It almost hurt even thinking about it. But then, since you’re out to save some money a smaller guest list is the best way to go. The bigger picture here is that it’s more important to have a few people who truly care about you on your wedding day as compared to a large crowd of strangers- as is the case for most of the weddings. Did you know that you are charged per plate for the reception? And did you know that there are folks who drop by just to pry, socialize, and of course, eat? Give it a thought.

Go Tech-Savvy

Call in a web designer friend or an acquaintance who knows a Photoshop trick or two, and create your save-the date/engagement announcement card online. This will save you guys a lot of cash considering how much postal services cost these days. Your guests will even appreciate the effort that went into customizing and creating your little online space just for them.

Seek Help From Family & Friends

It can be trying to have a tonne of family to entertain at your wedding and the days preceding it. Make the most of this situation and have them roped in to do little tasks. Your Martha Stewart enthusiast aunt would be flattered to bake your wedding cake, and your girl-cousins can catch up on all the gossip while sewing flowers for garlands. Give your list of favorite tracks to your little cousin brothers and ask them to make a mixed CD.

Personalize Your Wedding Venue & Service

Fore-go hotels as they come with plenty of hidden costs and taxes, particularly for weddings. Instead, use your community hall, wedding hall or the backyard of your home, and trust a decorator to deck it up into a beautiful venue for your big day. Also, this allows you to use your own caterer- which is by far a better option than cold hotel food that has always disappointed. Most family run catering services have an incredible reputation and charge a reasonable rate.

If you want to personalize your wedding just give a call to Vismaya, they will help you to make your dreams come true with an affordable budget.

Vismaya Events & Entertainment

Web: www.vismaya.lk

Mail : info@vismaya.lk

Wedding Settee backs

Wedding settee back is the decoration for where the couple would be seated during the Wedding Ceremony.Every bridal couple wish to have unique and a beautiful Settee Back Design for their dream wedding day. Array of beauty talks volumes from the decoration of the unique settee that carry the weight and the solemn nature of marriage to hold the newlyweds forever for a lifetime.

This beauty that lacks the right description for its grandeur will portray the solemnity and beauty of your wedding combined. You definitely want to have a great start to your marriage life. You have all you need right here. Fall in love with any of the displayed stages and settees and declare it yours and you shall have it. The design and the decoration of the settee are determined by the bride and groom according to their budget and wedding ideas.
As a wedding décor specialist Vismaya Events & Entertainment can provide a unique and a beautiful Settee Back Design for your Dream Day. Here you can see some of them,

If you want to Rent their Beautiful Settee-Backs for your weddings,receptions or engagements, you can reach them in Sri Lanka:

Vismaya Events & Entertainment

Wellawatta.

Srilanka.

Hotline : +94 779218011

 Mail     : info@vismaya.lk

Web    : www.vismaya.lk

Typical Srilankan Tamil Wedding Day

The main wedding day is like a typical Srilankan Tamil wedding and almost closer to the South-Indian Tamil weddings. The Bride wears a bright-red 'koorai' sari with heavily pleated pattern and a blouse embroidered in gold. The veil is put over her head and wrapped around her shoulders in such a way that her face is not hidden. The 'koorai' sari is the most elaborate attire the bride will wear. The Groom wears a traditional pattu vaetti and a white silk shirt with a turban. As a custom, the bride's younger brother will be the mappillai-tholan.He is like an escort for both Bride & Groom in the occasion of the marriage.

Mappilai Tholan escorts the groom to the hall in his wedding attire and is seated throughout the wedding ceremony. The bride is brought in after the “Rakshabhandanam” of the groom. This is when the veil plays its part; the bride and groom are not supposed to see each other during the ceremony until the bride goes in to change her “koorai”, which is handed by the groom himself to her. The ceremony is always held at the girl’s side because the groom comes over to the bride’s place to marry her in front of relatives and friends and ceremoniously takes her away. He sits, passes the “koorai” to her, telling her to tie the sari which he has gifted and when she comes back to the manavarai, he stands, respecting her and giving her the status of a wife, by tying the kodi and Thirumangalyam around her neck. This is when the veil is removed and he sees his glowing bride, now his wife. She then stands, and garlands her husband, in a symbol of respect and he while seated, garlands her to symbolize unity.

Hindu marriage symbolizes not only the wedding bond between a man and a woman, but it also symbolizes mutual love, care, affection, understanding, commitment, sacrifice, companionship, dedication and surrender by both the partners. Each and every ritual associated with the marriage has a meaning. One of such ritual is tying of "mangalyam" The groom ties the "mangalyam" around the bride’s neck with three knots, each knot representing three different aspects – the first knot represents her respect towards her husband; the second knot represents the respect towards his parents and her parents; and the third knot represents the respect to the God. It is not only the yellow thread or the gold chain that has the significance, but also the bond between two hearts and the protection assured by each other. Thaali contain Sivalingam on one side and Soolam with Thiruneeru on other side, but for Amman thali it contains Amman Logo. On either side of the Thaali, there are two coins with Goddess Lakshmi engraved on it, but nowadays old type of English coin is used for it.

Legend says that thaali was actually a tiger tooth that was tied around the bride’s neck by the bridegroom as a gift. The bridegroom himself defeats the tiger without any weapon and brings the tooth to tie in his girl’s neck as a token of bravery and courage, symbolizing that he can protect his wife throughout his lifetime from evils. Mangalyam holds a special place for married women, especially in the Tamil culture. When it is tied around her neck, it promotes her as a wife who looks after the welfare of a family. It is considered as one of the most important ornaments in a married woman’s life, which remains in her neck throughout her lifetime. All married women worship their mangalyam by keeping kumkum (holy red powder) on it and perform “Sumangali Poojai” for the long-life of their husbands. At the end of the evening, a procession escorts the couple to the wedding car and throws flower petals on the couple.

Planning an Easy and Memorable Birthday Party for your Kids

Whether you’re a kid or an adult, birthday is an occasion for which you wait the whole year. Everyone loves to get good wishes and gifts and birthday is the occasion that provides them to you. However, kids are more exciting to birthday parties in their own way. We all know they like to have fun and excitement and although their modes of excitement may seem so usual to us, but to kids it’s an occasion of celebrations, cakes, gifts and a number of fun activities so make sure to plan it in the best possible way so that they could remember it for years.Planning can be a hard decision and could be hard to decide what to do? Should you organize the party at home or at some unique location?However throwing a birthday party for your child should be fun for all. All you need is a perfect planning, and well-paced party schedule and off course the center of attention the killer birthday cake.

Involving your kids in the arrangements is a good idea, they will love it. You may not know much about what kids like these days so it is a better idea to carefully take opinion from your kids. Make sure you provide them adequate and exciting activities on the occasion. Kids often get bored with things that do not interest them and they might as well involve into other un-wanted activities. So keep them happy and occupied by providing things that are relatively new to them.Whatever theme or idea you choose, make sure to arrange accordingly and appropriately.Planning should be the first step before deriving at any conclusions. Keep your child’s interest in mind and try to find out about their likes and dislikes. This way you will be able to provide them what they will love the most. Birthday parties are sometimes difficult for parents to arrange when they are struggling to support their lives. However, a simple but well managed party could very likely become a success. If the arrangements are done properly and everything is manages accordingly, you will be able to keep things exciting for everyone. Guest list is important to prepare especially when you are low on budgets, arranging consequently will let you save money and still serving the purpose.