An Indian Wedding

Today was definitely one of the more interesting experiences we've had thus far in our trip to India: an Indian wedding. The people at the hospital organized it for us, as they felt it would be a good taste of Indian culture. And indeed it was!

It was a bit hard to understand everything that was going on, given that none of us speak any of the local language, but it was obviously very different from any wedding we've been to. It's quite the spectacle, and it seems that it's the chance for as many people to get together at possible. It didn't matter that we didn't know the bride or groom--or anyone else at the wedding, for that matter. Weddings in India seem to be an event that is shared with as many people as possible.

Like in the United States, the actual ceremony is only a small part of the day's festivities. There seems to be a wedding procession to the wedding hall, which was situated on one of the hills overlooking the city. Another wedding was going on at the same time next door, and we were able to watch part of the procession as they made their way up the street to the wedding hall. The procession was complete with funny looking hats, dancing, and music. They really do make a big deal out of their weddings!

The ceremony lasted for about 30 minutes, where the wedding party gathered around the bride and groom chanting a song in Hindi (or Marathi). At various points during the song, the people in the audience threw grains of rice in the air. After the ceremony was over, the audience members came through a line and congratulated the bride and groom and posing for photographs. Unlike in the United States, they took photographs of the bride and groom and nearly everyone in the audience, rather than just the wedding party. Thus, despite never having met the bride or groom, it seems as though we will be part of their wedding album.

We left shortly after that, but there would be plenty of other festivities for the couple's wedding. There was a luncheon after the ceremony (which was in the morning), and then later that evening everyone would come back for a reception. Like much of India, one of the things that is most striking is the vibrant color present in all the sarees and kurtas that people are wearing. Even the rice people threw in the air was colored! As we knew neither the language nor the couple getting married, it was a bit awkward for us. But it is certainly a quintissentially Indian experience we won't soon forget!