There's a lot to cover today, but I'll start with a little housekeeping. Normally on this blog, I try to avoid talking about people who I meet up with or travel with, not because I dislike them (although this is occasionally true), but because I'll inevitable make enough in-jokes to hugely increase the level of indulgence on what is already a pretty self indulgent blog. However, I was in Kolkata, the former colonial capital of India, for the wedding of one of my oldest friends, so I'm going to need to break the rule for this post. In the unlikely event that you care about this, you may need to get over it.
The wedding I attended was a Bengali wedding, and the rituals were specific to in and around Kolkata. One of the great things about India is that the wedding traditions vary so much in different areas of the country, not that I'll get to see many others.
The first ritual I got to attend was the Mehndi night, which is part party, and part preparation for the ladies. We'd headed out the night before to get ready, and we were looking pretty swish. The night started with what's best described as a dance off - some dancers put on a show, and then we were invited to join in. Naturally, I went for it, as did everyone else! The dancing was quite difficult to master, but I think points were being given for effort, so I clearly did amazingly. After that, food and drinks were served, while all the females at the wedding went to have henna patterns put on their hands. The henna artists were amazing - they worked at an incredibly fast pace!
The next morning, we attended the Haidi ceremony. The bride is presented with a representation of the groom in the form of a fish, and then the groom is presented with a representation of the bride, also in the form of a fish. Tumeric is then crushed and placed on the bride and groom (separately), leaving them with yellow faces. It's then finished by pouring a glass of cold water of the lucky couple! This is all one without the couple seeing each other, but everyone else is allowed in the central area.
This was leading up to the main event itself, and what better way to start the main ceremony of a wedding, than with a grand entrance! The groom, Mike, had hired a horse-pulled carriage to take us through the streets of Kolkata on the way to the wedding. As you may expect, we drew large crowds. In fact, people may have been running out of shops to see us pass by. I think we also felt a slight amount of guilt at the fact that the horses weren't hugely overfed, but as far as I can tell they weren't struggling with the effort, and seemed much happier than, say, the pack of wild horses I saw crossing a motorway today.
Once we'd arrived, the next big moment was the arrival of the bride. However, this entrance was considerably different compared to a British wedding. Ishanee (the bride) sat on a small rectangular, decorated, piece of wood, and five guys from representing both sides (including me!) lifted her up. We then had to carry her around the groom, who was shielded from seeing her by a sheet, seven times, before they were allowed to set eyes on each other. Before we did this, we were incredibly nervous - we'd been expecting some big throne type thing with handles, and when we arrived we realised we were lifting her on this:
Next, they were taken off to a special area in the corner of the venue, for Ishanee's dad to give her away to Mike (for the cost of 101 Rupees). This ceremony is generally not watched at most Bengali weddings, and used as a chance for the guests to speak, but we were determined to see as much as possible, and so crowded around. I spent quite a lot of it on my knees, ducking under a lighting rig.
After a short break, the final ceremony was the fire ceremony, in which the couple walk around a fire seven times, each time making a different vow. Finally the rings were exchanged, and they were married!
In terms of weddings, I'm not sure I'll ever make it to a more spectacular one. Not only was the stage grand, but Ishanee's family welcomed both Mike's family and us (his friends) with incredibly open arms.I sincerely wish the happy couple all the best for the future, and feel incredibly lucky to have been to such an epic event.
Next time: Taxis: Powerslides and near death experiences!
The wedding I attended was a Bengali wedding, and the rituals were specific to in and around Kolkata. One of the great things about India is that the wedding traditions vary so much in different areas of the country, not that I'll get to see many others.
The first ritual I got to attend was the Mehndi night, which is part party, and part preparation for the ladies. We'd headed out the night before to get ready, and we were looking pretty swish. The night started with what's best described as a dance off - some dancers put on a show, and then we were invited to join in. Naturally, I went for it, as did everyone else! The dancing was quite difficult to master, but I think points were being given for effort, so I clearly did amazingly. After that, food and drinks were served, while all the females at the wedding went to have henna patterns put on their hands. The henna artists were amazing - they worked at an incredibly fast pace!
The next morning, we attended the Haidi ceremony. The bride is presented with a representation of the groom in the form of a fish, and then the groom is presented with a representation of the bride, also in the form of a fish. Tumeric is then crushed and placed on the bride and groom (separately), leaving them with yellow faces. It's then finished by pouring a glass of cold water of the lucky couple! This is all one without the couple seeing each other, but everyone else is allowed in the central area.
This was leading up to the main event itself, and what better way to start the main ceremony of a wedding, than with a grand entrance! The groom, Mike, had hired a horse-pulled carriage to take us through the streets of Kolkata on the way to the wedding. As you may expect, we drew large crowds. In fact, people may have been running out of shops to see us pass by. I think we also felt a slight amount of guilt at the fact that the horses weren't hugely overfed, but as far as I can tell they weren't struggling with the effort, and seemed much happier than, say, the pack of wild horses I saw crossing a motorway today.
Once we'd arrived, the next big moment was the arrival of the bride. However, this entrance was considerably different compared to a British wedding. Ishanee (the bride) sat on a small rectangular, decorated, piece of wood, and five guys from representing both sides (including me!) lifted her up. We then had to carry her around the groom, who was shielded from seeing her by a sheet, seven times, before they were allowed to set eyes on each other. Before we did this, we were incredibly nervous - we'd been expecting some big throne type thing with handles, and when we arrived we realised we were lifting her on this:
Luckily, Ishanee is very light, and it wasn't an issue!
After a short break, the final ceremony was the fire ceremony, in which the couple walk around a fire seven times, each time making a different vow. Finally the rings were exchanged, and they were married!
In terms of weddings, I'm not sure I'll ever make it to a more spectacular one. Not only was the stage grand, but Ishanee's family welcomed both Mike's family and us (his friends) with incredibly open arms.I sincerely wish the happy couple all the best for the future, and feel incredibly lucky to have been to such an epic event.
Next time: Taxis: Powerslides and near death experiences!
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