Wedding Pictures: The getaway car above :)
Blessed offerings
The sad bride (above) and the couple and family (below).
First of all, I HAVE got to stop going into soooo much detail. I don't think anyone really cares that much and it is taking me FOREVER to write my blogs. Please, post if you like more or less information in the blogs...otherwise I am going to start shortening them.
How exciting, I am only in Nepal 2 days and I get invited to a traditional Hindu wedding. I was so excited, but I was TOTALLY kicking myself for not packing my skirt. When Emma explained there could be 500 people at the wedding on the first day, I felt alot better. And yes! I did say the first day, traditional Hindu weddings go for three days; first day is for the bride, second is for the groom, and the final day I believe is for the couple together. We were only going to the first day, because Ram (the man who invited us) it was his sister getting married. We were there to celebrate the bride's day.
*Funny Side Story*
Anne (another volunteer) was invited to a different wedding then the group was going to and Melanie decided to go with her. This meant that Emma, Blake, and I were meeting up with Shivani and going to the wedding for Ram's sister. We decided to meet Shivani at the trekking office (Ram owns the trekking office) and once we all got there Emma got a phone call from Anne's date asking if Anne was there. As Emma tried to explain Anne wasn't there and didn't have a phone or a number he could contact her at. When it was clear that he didn't seem to understand Emma finally just got off the phone. Shivani in the meantime went into the trekking office to get directions and guess who was there???? Anne and Melanie, YAY! This meant we ALL got to go to the wedding together.
On to the wedding...once we arrived the groom's procession came shortly after. There was lots of music and dance and once he was settled outside, the bride came out and did some kind of blessing (I didn't really understand, ie. it was all in Hindu). Then the bride went back inside and came back out and there were alot of things going on that I didn't really understand. It was clear though that, as Shivani explained, the bride was very sad and she is suppose to behave this way to show respect to her family. Because after she is married, it is considered that she has left her family and joined her husband's family. After her marriage she will rarely see her own family. There was this really cool part where they "priest" bathed their feet together and made offerings to...I am not sure who. At that point we were all invited to eat, the food was good but REALLY quite spicy and I didn't eat much of it....but for the record I tried EVERYTHING on my plate. Shortly after we ate we headed back into Thamel, bought chocolate! oooo Yum!
Once back at the Volunteer house, we all used internet, read books, wrote in ours journals and got ready for the night. See, when the power goes out (as Anne so eloquently put it) its like the Middle Ages....we sit around by candle light and chat. Which I sort of just love! I think it is so quaint and old fashion, but I guess coming from the country (aka Hicktown USA) without TV or internet I would find this all very quaint.
That is it for Day 2, stay tuned from excitement for the rest of my first week. After my first week I am thinking about going to Bigu, a remote village that doesn't have internet....so no blog for 3 weeks if I choose that placement. Until Next Time.
How exciting, I am only in Nepal 2 days and I get invited to a traditional Hindu wedding. I was so excited, but I was TOTALLY kicking myself for not packing my skirt. When Emma explained there could be 500 people at the wedding on the first day, I felt alot better. And yes! I did say the first day, traditional Hindu weddings go for three days; first day is for the bride, second is for the groom, and the final day I believe is for the couple together. We were only going to the first day, because Ram (the man who invited us) it was his sister getting married. We were there to celebrate the bride's day.
*Funny Side Story*
Anne (another volunteer) was invited to a different wedding then the group was going to and Melanie decided to go with her. This meant that Emma, Blake, and I were meeting up with Shivani and going to the wedding for Ram's sister. We decided to meet Shivani at the trekking office (Ram owns the trekking office) and once we all got there Emma got a phone call from Anne's date asking if Anne was there. As Emma tried to explain Anne wasn't there and didn't have a phone or a number he could contact her at. When it was clear that he didn't seem to understand Emma finally just got off the phone. Shivani in the meantime went into the trekking office to get directions and guess who was there???? Anne and Melanie, YAY! This meant we ALL got to go to the wedding together.
On to the wedding...once we arrived the groom's procession came shortly after. There was lots of music and dance and once he was settled outside, the bride came out and did some kind of blessing (I didn't really understand, ie. it was all in Hindu). Then the bride went back inside and came back out and there were alot of things going on that I didn't really understand. It was clear though that, as Shivani explained, the bride was very sad and she is suppose to behave this way to show respect to her family. Because after she is married, it is considered that she has left her family and joined her husband's family. After her marriage she will rarely see her own family. There was this really cool part where they "priest" bathed their feet together and made offerings to...I am not sure who. At that point we were all invited to eat, the food was good but REALLY quite spicy and I didn't eat much of it....but for the record I tried EVERYTHING on my plate. Shortly after we ate we headed back into Thamel, bought chocolate! oooo Yum!
Once back at the Volunteer house, we all used internet, read books, wrote in ours journals and got ready for the night. See, when the power goes out (as Anne so eloquently put it) its like the Middle Ages....we sit around by candle light and chat. Which I sort of just love! I think it is so quaint and old fashion, but I guess coming from the country (aka Hicktown USA) without TV or internet I would find this all very quaint.
That is it for Day 2, stay tuned from excitement for the rest of my first week. After my first week I am thinking about going to Bigu, a remote village that doesn't have internet....so no blog for 3 weeks if I choose that placement. Until Next Time.
Car,
ReplyDeleteKeep as much detail in your posts as you reasonably can!! It makes me feel like I am right there with you.... :)
<3 Cam