28.3.06

big fat south asian wedding

I haven't posted in awhile because Hannah and I went out of town to go to a wedding with Priya and her family. Weddings here are funny because RSVP has no meaning. I didn't meet the bride until she was dining at her reception, and I met the groom two days before. But apparently foreigners being there upped the prestige of the wedding, or at least piqued their curiosity, so we were welcomed.
I should start off by saying that if it weren't for Hannah, I wouldn't have survived the weekend with Priya and her family. As Hannah so eloquently put it, Priya and her family all became bridezillas, and they weren't even brides. But that's all the negativity I'll say, and instead I'll focus on the positives.

First, we
got to experience a wedding immersed with a national family, which is something not too many people get to experience. We were there from Thursday, watching the female relatives smear a colored paste on the groom's skin to make it glow, until Sunday at 5am watching the bride sob as she threw rice over her shoulder at her family. But in between those two spectrums was the most fun part - the big dance party! It's like a bachelor/ette party, but it's a family affair. First, we sat around as waiters served us delicious snacks, then the closer women to the groom sat on the dancefloor, equipped with a drum and a mic, and sang and clapped. Of course, Hannah and I being the major curiosity of the weekend, several people told us to join the women. The fact that we didn't know the songs nor the language didn't deter them, so we sat and clapped while 100+ people stared at us. Some point during the clapping, Hannah and I realized why we weren't embarrassed - we had left our dignity behind sometime around ordering black shoe pizzas. After the singing, the sheet was rolled off the dancefloor, and the music and dancing started! For the next couple of hours, I never sat down again. It was so much fun learning their dances!

Saturday night, the wedding started with a blessing of the groom (still no bride in sight) around
6pm. Then the groom sat atop a white horse and we all rode to the wedding site and waited for the groom to ride up on his horse. His family and friends would be part of the procession with him, dancing to the accompanying marching band. It sounded just like a football game. I felt a bit sorry for the groom, missing out on all the fun and dancing. Priya pulled Hannah and I into the procession, which was fun. That was the most excited part of the wedding, which included food, blessings, and tons of waiting around, and lasted until 5am. I'm still recovering from the lack of sleep, especially since we packed up and left immediately to come back home. Let's just say it's good to be back in the land of beds and toilet paper.

the bride and groom

Not that this is related, but husband and I were given a can of Dr. Pepper from a friend in February (thanks, LR!) and we split it last night as a treat. That was 6 ounces of goodness!

5 comments:

Sarah said...

A wedding AND Dr. Pepper? What a week for you!

SouthAsiaRocks said...

hey guess what????? in the capital city, at the store called "daily needs" by the guest house - they have Dr. Peppers now!! for only $1!!!! Awesome hunh??? Cool Post!

julie said...

wow--that wedding sure sounds like it was a blast. you're so lucky you got to experience all that...hey, this random but i just watched Friends and i think someone should dress up as the holiday armadillo for Christmas this year!

A Little Water said...

just had to say, Thanks for the shout out for the Dr. Pepper. I think all of us who love, that wonderful nectar from dublin, texas- should unite as one, and join to make it possible for a dr. pepper manufacturing plant to exist in south asia. i mean there that thing called supply and demand. we definitely have the demand part. and the next time i get a chance, i will send you some more dr. pepper!!!

Anonymous said...

oh my goodness...life without dr. pepper...maybe youre not as lucky as i thought! haha just kidding...i dont know that i could do that though. it would take lots of help. that wedding sounds incredible...could you imagine having to go through all that on the weekend of your wedding?! i know when that day comes for me i just want it to happen and get out of there! :)