INDIA: Indian Wedding

The Indian wedding is one of the most important ceremonies in one's life. It symbolizes not merely a union of two hearts but of two families. 

My friend and officemate, Shekhar, invited me to his relative's wedding in his hometown which was 2.5 hours away from New Delhi. We left work early and made our way to the bus terminal. It was a long and literally bumpy ride to his place. Whenever the bus ran over potholes, we would be thrown off our seats. Amazingly, Shekhar still managed to snatch some sleep despite the ride.

Shekhar on my shoulder (No homo)

On the way to his place

It was a huge celebration. I estimate that there were about 1000 guests that came and went. While we were socializing, Shekhar kept introducing me to his relatives - an uncle, a nephew, a niece, a cousin, an uncle's cousin, a cousin's uncle, a nephew's niece, a niece's nephew - you get the idea. In spite of that, he didn't know half of the people who were present. Apparently, the bride and groom didn't know everyone too. It wasn't just a family affair, the whole town was invited.

Colors

Early in to the night

There was a wide array of North Indian dishes served and I had to take little of each otherwise I wouldn't be able to taste them all. Unlike dishes and drinks served in Filipino weddings, we feasted on vegetarian food and non-alcoholic beverages. Just imagine!

"North India is all about sweets!" -Shekhar

Indians say that Indian weddings last for a whole week. True enough, I found out that this was only the third day of celebrations and after the wedding itself the celebrations will still continue. The drums were beating non-stop and the speakers were on full blast. There was an explosion of colors, dance and songs. The relatives of the couple brought out bills and twirled it on top of them, as if blessing them for a bountiful conjugal life. The party lasted until the wee hours of the morning with the wedding vows as the peak of the event.

Mehendi for the women

"When in India, do as Indians do." -Raf

"We Indians love to dance but we don't know how!" -Shekhar

"Shake that moneymaker!"

Partying until the moon sets and the sun rises

The groom arrived accompanied by the passionate drummers and wild dancing relatives. His traditional Indian wedding dress was superbly done. The amount of detail and hard work put in sewing the outfit must have made him feel like a king for a day. Then the bride came dressed with a gown that would not be outshone by her partner's ensemble. The intricate bead work of the gown complemented the sophisticated facial adornments she wore so gracefully.

The groom with his cousins assisting him in a ritual

"If you like it then you shoulda put ring on it!" 

The ceremony was filled with rituals and traditions. One such tradition was for the couple to take turns in putting a necklace of flowers on each other. As per tradition, the groom went first. When it was the bride's turn, the groom's relatives lifted him as high as they could that he almost hit his head on the ceiling. Determined to complete the ritual, the bride's relatives had to lift her as high as the groom.

Raise me up!

Waiting in anticipation

Exhausted from dancing and merry-making, we headed to Shekhar's aunt's place to crash for the night. The first floor was a barn where they kept their cows and cow dung which was all over the place. The second floor had some rooms, the living room and the kitchen. The third floor was the rooftop which, little did I know, would be our place for the night! We hoisted wooden beds to the top and off to sleep we went! There was no electricity in the entire village. Our only night light was the moon and the stars that seemed to shine brighter than anywhere else I've been to.

Rooftop accommodations

View from their rooftop: Other rooftops

The next morning, they served me a traditional Indian breakfast with sugar from their farm and a glass of warm milk taken from the cows right below us.

Pancakes, Indian version (Chapati with sugar)

Now, that's what I call fresh milk!