Goin' To The Chapel...

And we're gonna get married. Gee, I really love you and we're gonna get married. Goin' to the chapel of love...

I can now check off the "Go to a Hindu Wedding" on the list of "must do's while you are in India" list. Anbu, one of the handy-men, got married on Sunday morning to a beautiful, young terrified bride. Hindu weddings are celebrated on two different days. So, on Saturday night, all of the volunteers, decked out in Sari's and gold jewelry, packed into the van with the kids to go to the reception celebration. Venilla Mary let me borrow one of her many saris and put a beautiful necklace around my neck with a matching bracelet. We all wore flowers in our hair and put on make up (the first time in a long time, folks). 

The reception was a little different. There was a loud band playing the whole time, music that sounded the exact same over and over. I love music with all of my heart, and thanks to certain events in my life and people whom I've met, going to see concerts always excites me. So the band got to know me pretty well by the end of the night, because every time I passed by I would say "Suuuper!" and smile really big. They had me sit down in front of them and take a picture. 

The whole point of the reception was to congratulate the groom, take a few pictures, and then eat. The bride was still at the temple until we left. So, as we walked back to the van, we stopped to see what was going on. The bride looked so beautiful. She had so much bling bling on and flowers everywhere. Anbu is a lucky man and he looked so happy.

But the real fun happened Sunday morning. All the volunteers either went to church or slept in, except Melissa and I. We chose to go to the wedding ceremony. So early, early we woke to get tied in a new sari and put more flowers in our hair. Equipped with a coconut in hand, off we went to see Anbu wed. 

We made it to the... not church, reception hall, maybe? place, just in time. Being white, everyone stares at you and you are the guest of honor. It is definitely a special thing to have a white person at your wedding. So we got there and they immediately pushed us to the front for a prime view. 

It is funny, because everything looks a bit dull and mundane except for one square of the room, where the bride and groom are. There is a huge flower frame and small shrines surrounding the floor. For most of the hour and 1/2 ceremony, they sit down on a multi-colored mat with a fire in front of them. It is so stunning. And they have a camera on them the whole time. Not to mention the fact that India is about 15 years behind every other country, because the camera man had to have an extension cord and a power plug wrapped around his neck the whole time with a cord dragging behind him. It's like paparazzi.

The rest of the room is totally different. No one is paying any attention, the band doesn't stop playing the whole time, and it is just like a party. There was no announcement when they started the ceremony or anything- they just started. The guy who married them wasn't even wearing a shirt.

The rituals were incredibly cool. They did tons of mantras and the guy was talking non-stop. It was an hour and 1/2 of straight sing-talking, and I loved to listen to it. My favorite part was when Anbu and his new wife were throwing a pile of rice around their heads and into the fire. They repeated this about 50 times and on round 30, they both looked at each other and started laughing. The joy made me so happy. You hear the horror stories of Indian marriages, how they don't meet until the day of and are so unhappy and upset. But the more I've been here, the more I appreciate arranged marriages. Vadevu, the house warden, told me one time, "America, marriage goes from hot to cold. India, marriage goes from cold to hot." Of course, it is about 50/50 chance that you will get a dirt bag. But it is that same way in the states too. You love who you serve. So that is the key, right?

Another ritual they do for the marriages is a blessing to the parents. They show them their appreciation by washing their feet. Her mother was bawling from happiness.

They close with everyone throwing flower petals at the happy new couple and the music (that has been playing the whole time) gets louder. Then, out of no where, there is a mad dash for the basement to get food. Like, they don't even wait for the ceremony to fully end before everyone is dashing down stairs. It isn't like they were really paying attention, anyway. I feel really lucky to have gotten to go, and be white so I was pushed to the front and encouraged to take photos. This is a day that I got to learn so much from and I will forever remember it.