sweet dreams are made of these

I went to my first Indian wedding today; hopefully it will not be my last, since I expect my Indian friends back home to a) get married and b) invite me to the festivities. It was quite fun, despite the fact that it was relatively early in the morning. The festivities started around eight a.m., and when I left around 9:30, it was still going, although the bride had briefly departed to switch saris. I had to go to the office, so I couldn't stick around, but I very much enjoyed the parts that I did see.

This wedding was very different from my experience with American weddings. While there is a lot of tradition and ritual, probably moreso than in American Christian weddings, there is also a lot more freedom on the part of the guests to be able to move around, talk, explain things to hapless foreigners, etc. In the weddings I am familiar with, you have to sit quietly in a pew for an hour or so while the priest or preacher drones on for awhile and someone sings half a dozen musical arrangements. Then you have to go stand in a receiving line, and everything is very polite and constrained (at least until the reception). This wedding, however, was not like that at all. People were constantly moving around, talking to each other, and trying to get the best angle for a picture or a video. It was also clear that only the priests knew exactly what all the rituals were, so I didn't feel like I was that much more out of the loop than everyone else there.

For the part that I saw, everything started outside of the wedding hall. From what I gathered, the groom was pretending that he didn't want to marry the bride, but she came out of the hall and he was convinced to wed her anyway. They were lifted up into the air and exchanged their garlands, then they sat on a flower-decorated bench and did something involving drinking small cups of milk. Their feet were bathed by their female relatives, and the relatives threw candies in front, behind, and to each side. This was a very entertaining part of the ceremony, since the candies invariably hit hapless onlookers. After this, the couple moved inside, where a flower tent of sorts was set up, and more stuff happened. We left before they walked around the fire, but I did see the fire, so I suppose that was pretty good.

As you can tell, my understanding was limited at best, but I'm really glad that I went. I'm happy for the bride; I work with Ashwini, and she's a great girl. This was a love match, rather than an arranged marriage, and so you could tell that the bride and groom were happy with the wedding, rather than apprehensive or anxious. It also gave me a chance to wear a really ornate, colorful outfit; if I showed up at a wedding (or anything) in the States wearing the heavily-embroidered lehnga that I wore today, I would stand out rather uncomfortably. Here, however, you would stand out if you were wearing something plain and undecorated. I love the fact that clothes here are so colorful--and that's why I could never move to New York, since I would go insane if I could only wear black or grey.

I spent most of the rest of the day in the office, although I came home for a couple of hours in the afternoon to rest my back. After work, we went out to Angeethi, which is quickly becoming our favorite Indian-cuisine restaurant. The only thing I really want to eat there is murgh makhni (a tasty chicken curry) with plain, buttered, or garlic naan (and tonight I had all three!)--and the murgh makhni may be the only Indian food I ever crave. I can take or leave just about everything else (such as the mutton biryani they served at lunch today; I, like just about every other expat, had a peanut butter sandwich), but the murgh makhni is astoundingly good.

I don't have any plans for the weekend, which is just the way I like it; I intend to lie flat on my back as much as possible. I also have to catch up on some work, and I may try to see a movie on Sunday, but we'll see if that pans out. Now, though, it's time for bed!