Wedding season has officially kicked off here in India. I am not sure about the details of the timing but have been told that it has something to do with the Hindu calendar determining the best marriage times. Every night the streets are filled with big parades following grooms on parades, all the venues are town are booked with wedding parties, and the skies are decorated with fireworks. It is quite a site and I was excited to attend a fellow work colleagues wedding a couple of days ago. The volunteer coordinator was getting married and invited the entire staff at Seva Mandir. It was a traditional Rajput wedding and most of the rituals were lost on us but it was still a neat experience.
As many people may know, Indian weddings can last for an entire week. We were invited to the night of the official ceremony. Upon arriving, we found the bride and groom in the middle of a large crowd of women. The bride was covered in a red sheet, the groom was having something poured on his feet, and the parents were sitting next to them. They were all under a tent with a fire in the middle and the crowd passively watched the scene.
A few minutes after arriving, my roommates and I were pushed out of the area. While focused on the ceremony, we apparently did not notice the lack of men in the wedding. Apparently this was only for the women, so we were guided to the appropriate tent. It was quite a different scene, with all the men sitting around at tables eating food and drinking.
So while the female volunteers sat around watching the wedding, the guys sat and drank whiskey. It was quite anticlimactic but a good experience nonetheless. With all the money and energy put into these weddings, I was expecting more of a party. I guess weddings are just another manifestation of the cultural importance of tradition. Disappointed that we did not get the bash that we were looking for, the volunteers took it back to the Love Nest and threw our own party. Though not what I was expecting for the night, we ended up having a great time and it was fun to dress up like a maharajah.
Wedding season has officially kicked off here in India. I am not sure about the details of the timing but have been told that it has something to do with the Hindu calendar determining the best marriage times. Every night the streets are filled with big parades following grooms on parades, all the venues are town are booked with wedding parties, and the skies are decorated with fireworks. It is quite a site and I was excited to attend a fellow work colleagues wedding a couple of days ago. The volunteer coordinator was getting married and invited the entire staff at Seva Mandir. It was a traditional Rajput wedding and most of the rituals were lost on us but it was still a neat experience.
As many people may know, Indian weddings can last for an entire week. We were invited to the night of the official ceremony. Upon arriving, we found the bride and groom in the middle of a large crowd of women. The bride was covered in a red sheet, the groom was having something poured on his feet, and the parents were sitting next to them. They were all under a tent with a fire in the middle and the crowd passively watched the scene.
A few minutes after arriving, my roommates and I were pushed out of the area. While focused on the ceremony, we apparently did not notice the lack of men in the wedding. Apparently this was only for the women, so we were guided to the appropriate tent. It was quite a different scene, with all the men sitting around at tables eating food and drinking.
So while the female volunteers sat around watching the wedding, the guys sat and drank whiskey. It was quite anticlimactic but a good experience nonetheless. With all the money and energy put into these weddings, I was expecting more of a party. I guess weddings are just another manifestation of the cultural importance of tradition. Disappointed that we did not get the bash that we were looking for, the volunteers took it back to the Love Nest and threw our own party. Though not what I was expecting for the night, we ended up having a great time and it was fun to dress up like a maharajah.
1 comment:
Michael! You look so studly in your shervani! well done my friend. well done.
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