The Ceremony - Part One
The Hindu ceremony was held on the balcony of the groom's home. Only the closest family members were there to witness it, which is quite unlike the 'full-length' Hindu ceremony. The full-length one is a three day process, during which prayers are said, clothes are changed to signify the different stages of the marriage process, and food is passed out in plenty to the people milling in and out.
The part for which we and the bride arrived consisted mainly of a description of the vows, which describe the roles of the two individuals to be wed. The man is a God, and the woman his Godess. Behind every good man, there is a better woman. The woman should always stand on the man's left side, the man should always be patient with his wife. Prayer and devotion are what bind the marriage together.
Note the similarity between Donna and that Liv Tyler in "Lord of the Rings". The woman's ears do not always grow pointy during the ceremony, this is optional. After the prayers follow the burning of a plate of food. Unfortunately, this plate of food was set to rest right next to a small palm tree, which did not catch fire but was interesting to observe.
I do not know the symbolism of the burning plate, but food plays a big role in the Hindu ceremony. The wife, for example, is given a small bag of peas to always store in her cupboard to ensure that her household will never be without food.
The burning of the food is not the only reflection of the rich symbolism - there is also the smearing of the divide in the bride's parted hair to symbolise her status as a married woman, and this powder is to be worn every day until the groom is gone. Not wearing it, means that the groom's life span will be marked as over, or that his lifespan will be shortened. There is also the tying of the knot which binds the clothing, and the bodies and souls of the couple, which is carried out by a close, usually breathtakingly beautiful, albeit terrified friend of the bride. I knew just about as much about the ceremony as Donna did, but with Daren whispering in her ear and the pundit laughing at me when I looked lost, things went smoothly anyway.
I don't think I've gotten everything in the perfect order, and I've probably missed out on half, but then the ceremony ended and they were married. There was no "Will you take this woman" business, which is not what the movies will make it out to be anyway. The whole ceremony seemed to be just a confirmation of what Daren and Donna both knew already- that they are meant to be together for the rest of their lives. And in the end, that's all that matters.
Next up : The Catholic Church.
The part for which we and the bride arrived consisted mainly of a description of the vows, which describe the roles of the two individuals to be wed. The man is a God, and the woman his Godess. Behind every good man, there is a better woman. The woman should always stand on the man's left side, the man should always be patient with his wife. Prayer and devotion are what bind the marriage together.
Note the similarity between Donna and that Liv Tyler in "Lord of the Rings". The woman's ears do not always grow pointy during the ceremony, this is optional. After the prayers follow the burning of a plate of food. Unfortunately, this plate of food was set to rest right next to a small palm tree, which did not catch fire but was interesting to observe.
I do not know the symbolism of the burning plate, but food plays a big role in the Hindu ceremony. The wife, for example, is given a small bag of peas to always store in her cupboard to ensure that her household will never be without food.
The burning of the food is not the only reflection of the rich symbolism - there is also the smearing of the divide in the bride's parted hair to symbolise her status as a married woman, and this powder is to be worn every day until the groom is gone. Not wearing it, means that the groom's life span will be marked as over, or that his lifespan will be shortened. There is also the tying of the knot which binds the clothing, and the bodies and souls of the couple, which is carried out by a close, usually breathtakingly beautiful, albeit terrified friend of the bride. I knew just about as much about the ceremony as Donna did, but with Daren whispering in her ear and the pundit laughing at me when I looked lost, things went smoothly anyway.
I don't think I've gotten everything in the perfect order, and I've probably missed out on half, but then the ceremony ended and they were married. There was no "Will you take this woman" business, which is not what the movies will make it out to be anyway. The whole ceremony seemed to be just a confirmation of what Daren and Donna both knew already- that they are meant to be together for the rest of their lives. And in the end, that's all that matters.
Next up : The Catholic Church.
