Raphael and I went along with Guruji to the first and third day of the 5 day wedding of one of Guruma's nephews. It was held in Kalyani which is a smaller town about 2 hours north of Kolkata. Day one was quite interesting since that was when most of the ceremony took place, although we left before the main part started at 2:00am. It was very decentralized compared to an American wedding where everyone sits and watches everything. I guess since things are drawn out over almost a week then you can't expect people to sit quietly through the whole thing. We saw the preparation of the groom and then rode along behind the entourage as it arrived at the hall where the ceremony would be. As you might know or expect things were very colorful. The bride dresses primarily in red with super elaborate make up. The groom wheres really fine traditional dress. They both have large pointed and decorated hats. (I have pictures of course but they are currently trapped in my camera since I don't have the right usb cable to load them anywhere.)
Guruji had a concert on day two of the wedding so we returned for that. It was really great. I'm able to understand Hindustani music better and appreciate more about it which is a lot of fun. Like I've said its concert season and all the heavy musicians are playing very regularly here.
I'll be heading to Nepal from Feb. 5th through 10th and then most likely returning to the USA on the 14th. I'll pick up my harmonium this week. I ordered it near the time I arrived and so its ready by now.
Take care,
Shantzy Pants
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
shantzypants! so glad that dan hood told me about your blog; i had no idea! i've just caught myself up on your adventure and wanted to send some well-wishes your way. sounds like a wild and interesting journey you're on. i can't wait to hear more! keep on keepin' on!
Hey Andy! Enjoyed your latest post. I recently watched "The Namesake," which shows scenes from an Indian wedding, including the traditional dress of the bride and groom. So I could picture some of what you were describing about the wedding you attended. I hope your trip to Nepal is wonderful and I look forward to seeing you back in Brooklyn soon! Aunt Alice
Post a Comment