Wedding!!!

I am a typical western Canadian, with a little bit of Mennonite heritage.  I did not grow up with much tradition aside from regular family gatherings at the various holidays.  Having a multicultural family has really brought new experiences to my world, and traditional Indian weddings is one of them.  We were able to take part in my brother-in-law's wedding two years ago, but there is nothing like an Indian wedding from a female's perspective.  My sister-in-law got married this past weekend, and here is a little snapshot of our experiences (and I truly mean a "little" as there was so much to take in that it'd be hard to share it all).

Let's start with the ENGAGEMENT... These are nothing like are western engagements, where the man proposes on one knee (which Mukesh did do, and with a ring pop none the less - at a much earlier date though).  It is customary to have an arranged marriage, and the men from the girl's side goes to the guy's house with a "dowry".  So, the men who supported Gurpreet took gifts and sweets over to Mukesh's place - this took place on the Saturday.

While this took place, the rest of us ladies did our best to decorate the house for the parties.

On the Sunday, the engagement continued, where the ladies from the guy's side brought gifts and sweets over for Gurpreet.  There is a lot involved in these gifts, including combing the bride-to-be's hair and putting on bracelets and henna... so many customs that I don't fully understand.

And then there was the MEHNDI party (or henna).  This is a ladies party, which involves food, music, and best of all, mehndi.  The lady that did the mehndi was amazingly fast, and did an excellent job.  Gurpreet had her hands and feet done, and it looked great.

Then, there are the Mayan (the "n" is almost silent) events, one on Thursday morning and one on Friday evening.  The Friday is a large party, with lots of food and dancing, including the Juggo dancing (with a type of pot on our heads).  At the Mayan we spread a turmeric colored paste all over the bride, and then wipe it off with a type of flour.  This is to "cleanse" the skin, although it looks like it would actually stain the skin.  The bangles and jewelry are also presented to the bride by her "mamma ji's" (which is mom's brothers).

And then the WEDDING DAY!!!  For us, this started at 7am.  We took family pictures at the house before heading out to the Gurdwara together (all the extended family).  That means we were up super early getting ready; I believe Gurpreet was up at 4:30 am.  At the Gurdwara, the bride's family greets the groom's family and the men exchange flower garlands.  Then is morning tea (with sweets and pastries), before heading up to the ceremony.

The ceremony is all in Punjabi, so I was at a loss for most of what was happening.  They provided a small pamphlet for us "white" folks to try to follow along, which helped, but I still did not understand everything.  It is a bit of a teary celebration, as the bride's family almost mourns the loss of a daughter, which is quite foreign to what I am used to, but in their culture, the bride leaves her family and goes to live with her groom's family.  In India, this can be in a village quite far away.  We are fortunate that Surrey isn't too far from Abbotsford, but Gurpreet has left our home and is now a part of Mukesh's family. 

After the ceremony and a quick family photo, we all head back to my in-law's place, as more tradition abounds.  This is around 1pm.  Once Mukesh and Gurpreet arrive at the house (after their pictures), Gurpreet came in, but Mukesh has to "buy" his way in to get his bride.  The "sisters" from the bride's side try to get as much out of the groom, while the "brothers" of the groom support him and try to "push" their way in with little cost.  We made a compromise and prepared a "deal or no deal" type of game.  Mukesh was lucky, he got away with only paying $200.

After the groom's family left, it was time to get ready for the PARTY.  We got our hair done, outfits on, and off to the reception.  It was a great reception, they did an awesome job.  Mukesh and Gurpreet even did a choreographed number for their first dance, which was so much fun.  They also had a photo booth for the guests.  Most importantly, the bride and groom looked stunning.

And that is not all... on Sunday, after the wedding, the bride's family invites the groom's family over for a meal.  We had the traditional Indian food, as we've had all week, but since it was Thanksgiving, we also made a turkey (compliments of Lois - thankyou). 

Yikes... I think that covers most of it.  Now, let the normal everyday routine begin!!!