Anyone Want to Go to a Wedding?

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been a guest at two weddings. One, actually, was only a reception, but the party is the reason we go, isn’t it? The parties thrown here, however, as well as the wedding ceremonies themselves, are quite different from anything we do in the United States. There are similarities for sure (for one thing, a big meal), but I want to focus on the very interesting differences that I got to experience.

First of all, many weddings happen on Sunday. This is because Saturday is not a day off for many people in India. Sunday is really the only “holiday” for the people here and so is the best option for holding a wedding.

So, my first wedding was two Sundays ago (October 30). This was a Syrian Christian wedding, and the bride is a professor of English at UCC. First of all, she looked beautiful wearing an off-white sari and adorned with more gold jewelry than I’ve ever seen on one person. The wedding began at noon, and after an hour of chanting priests and what I thought was rather annoying – even gaudy – music, the couple was married. It should also be noted that all of the guests stood throughout the ceremony, though many came and went as their attention spans allowed. Some didn’t even watch the ceremony, but stayed under the large tent and simply waited to be fed.

The meal was served buffet style, following the presentation of the bride and groom. It was great food – prawn curry, grilled chicken, lots of different things that you wouldn’t know the meaning of if I listed, and a delicious dessert – and we ate it sitting in plastic picnic chairs sans any picnic tables. While we ate, the bride went somewhere to change her sari. She took off the gorgeous off-white “wedding sari” and donned a red one that had been brought by her new husband and given to her during the ceremony. She still looked beautiful. And then, after only about 3 hours, we said goodbye.

No DJ, no dance, no staying out till midnight. Although the decorations (elaborate flowers and candles and a huge cake that wasn’t actually a cake at all) and food would trump most American weddings (besides those of the very rich and famous, I suppose), the party itself was relatively simple. It was a lot of food, a little fellowship, and then on our way, with an invite to another wedding the next week…