An amazing Indian wedding

It was the longest ceremony that I had attended - from 7:30 in the evening to 5:30 the following morning.  The groom arrived at the venue accompanied by a throng of his friends and relatives in  a long procession that created a traffic jam.   At the entrance, the groom appeared to be negotiating with the bride’s family to be allowed entry. When the cordon was cut, everyone in the crowd gave a loud sigh of relief and a resounding  applause.

Here comes the groom.  He surely can see his way.

The bride awaits for the moment in her suite.

Bride's entrance in a canopy of red, red roses.

The main ceremony was in Hindu tradition then it was followed by Sikh rites.  Towards dawn, the chanting and praying continued and it seemed permissible for the guests who decided to stay on to take  turns in dozing off. 

The Hindus' seven rounds of fire.

The Sikh Holy Man enters with the Book of  Prayers behind him.

The finale of the ceremony was when the groom had to retrieve his pair of shoes which was  removed earlier before sitting on the praying pad.  It was a treasure that the bride's family had to temporarily safe keep.  Getting back the shoes was no easy feat.  He had to redeem them by bidding.  Bid  higher and higher until the price was acceptable.  When the rupees passed hands, the shoes were brought and the crowd rejoiced. 

Groom with his parents

The wedding was very colourful and the jewelry and apparel of the bride and groom and their families and guests were stunning.  The rites seemed to be meticulously done by the book; no short cuts, no rush. The bride and groom were oblivious of the long hours that they had to remain seated in lotus position, and the weight of their garments and trimmings, the headdress and bracelets and all.

The bride's partial weight in gems.   

No bouquets are thrown but a dangle of wishes for a next bride.

But what impressed me most was how the bride's family showed how much they cherished her.  There was solidarity in making sure that the wedding was memorable for the couple, their family and friends.  It seems part of the family honor to leave this impression.  It must have been the same in the groom's side.

Bride's Mom, Sis, and Dad

Groom's lady family members

Some Indians still practice arranged marriages.  But this one is different.  One day, not too long ago, a handsome young man arrived at the home of a beautiful young lady.  In front of her parents, he asked permission if he could marry her.

And they were one

                                
              May both of them live happily ever after.

We traveled far and wide to celebrate their new life together.

A bridal shower - the Indian way

Everyone glows like a bride-to-be

In the morning of the wedding day there was a ceremony called rubbing with turmeric.  It is supposed to be a cleansing ceremony for the bride and attended mainly by the bride’s female relatives, and friends.    It’s probably the equivalent of the bridal shower party in the western world.

A Holy Man officiates

A Holy Man continuously chants and female relatives and friends would approach the bride and rub the concoction on her skin.    What was fascinating was the wearing of the bangles; several dazzling bangles almost a footlong on each arm.  Their weight takes a toll on the bride and I could imagine that whatever she does afterwards, she would need a lady-in-waiting to assist her.

Bangles have to be washed before wearing them.

Bangles have to be worn for one year; early removal requires dispensation.

Part of the chanting was between the Holy Man and the bride's parents and I could see some Indian rupees being passed to the Holy Man.   Despite the solemnity of the occasion, the Holy Man could be interrupted on his cell phone.

Oops.  Got to take the call.

Rain?  No problem.  A canopy is on standby.

Then the bride had to retreat for the rest of the day.  The concoction from her skin will be cleansed and she has to dress-up for the wedding ceremony that will follow in the evening.

Henna paint at engagement party; bangles at the anointing party

Bride with her parents

The adventures go on - an engagement party in India

Ravi and Jasleen met and fell in love in Edinburgh.

I was in India for one month, and as usual,  I took the opportunity to connect with the Filipino VSO volunteers.  The main purpose of the trip though was to attend the wedding of an Indian couple who were at school with my daughter.  Their friends travelled from Vienna, Germany, the UK and we rendezvoused in New Delhi.

Traveling with Generation Ys is a great learning experience.

Most of our pre-departure preparations were on researching for the appropriate attire for the 4-day wedding celebration, calibrating our post-wedding travel itinerary, and booking trains and hotels.   For the main wedding ceremony, ladies will have to wear an Indian  saree, with a blouse and a petticoat and we had these made on the eve of our departure for the venue.  

A Venus de Milo in glittering exquisite saree?

Since there were 4 of us ladies, the tailor had to work until 11:00pm right under our noses because we were to take an early morning train.  Well, at the first fitting the measurements and the materials were all interchanged so he had to re-do everything.  While nervously waiting, we learned how to put on the saree – which is some 5 to 7 meters long of unsewn cloth draped around the body. 

The shopkeeper had to give us a ride back to our hotel.

We were all excited to board the 4-hour train ride to Rudrapur.  The  welcome party was very warm.  There was drumbeating, a garland of marigolds and the traditional bindi (red dot on the forehead).

Decorating the forehead with bindi.

I noticed a lot of waving from the ladies in the bride’s family only to realize that they were actually just drying their arms and hands that were newly painted with heena.  It takes two hours to fully dry the paint and we shortly found ourselves waving too. 

Hands and arms have to be decorated, too.

I hardly recognized my appendage.

The following day was the main wedding ceremony and it is a big story to tell.

A fairy tale setting.  A dreamlike engagement party.