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Betel leaves along with areca nuts symbolize love and marriage

Betel leaves along with areca nuts symbolize love and marriage. The origin behind the display and use of betel leaf and areca nut dates back to very old folk tales which states that love is forever and marriage is inseparable for both the bride and the groom's side. According to the South Eastern Asian countries it is a custom to chew the betel leaf and the areca nut when the talks between the bride and the groom's parents start about the wedding and thus it is ceremonially used in almost all the weddings. It is the belief that the combination of areca nut and the betel leaf is ideal to the point they are practically inseparable, like an idealized married couple. According to the Indian culture and tradition it is custom among the people to welcome guests with a tray of areca nuts and betel leaves just like we offer drinks to the visitors.

Betel leaf along with areca nut is held in high Esteem

-Betel leaf along with areca nut is held in high esteem in many cultures around the globe as in India. There is a famous Malayan quote which says that "bagaikan pinang dibelah dua" meaning newly wedded couples who are compatible to each other, just like a betel nut when divided in half. The chewing of the betel leaf along with the areca nut dates back to pre-Vedic Harappan period signifying royalty in those days. There was also a custom for lovers to chew areca nut and betel leaf together, because of its breath-freshening and relaxant properties. Soon it started signifying male and the female sex where the areca nut signified the male principle and the betel leaf represented the female principle.

The Areca Nut and the Betel Leaf -

According to the traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism the areca nut and the betel leaf is used as an important constituent in most of the religious and social ceremonies and while honoring great individuals in India. The betel leaf is said to signify fertility and hence it is mostly used in religious and wedding ceremonies. The Assamese follow the tradition of offering betel leaves along with areca nut to guests after the meal. Also the Assamese follow the tradition of inviting people for wedding where they place the invitation along with the betel leaf and areca nut. The chewing of betel leaf is a customary tradition which is native to the people of South Asia eastward to the Pacific. Areca nut and betel leaf are said to be inseparable.