And now, for the main event - The Great Bengali Wedding.
We didn't know what to expect when our hosts called us over and we followed them to the nearby mandir. Maybe they just wanted to show us around, we thought, as we admired the local temple. The language barrier meant they were unable to explain to us what this was all about, so we just stood around, having no clue as to what was going on.
The commotion started soon after. A car pulled up, the bride and the groom stepping out of it. They were dressed in the traditional wedding attire; elaborate silks, huge flower garlands and fancy headdresses. The tip of the groom's mundu and that of the bride's saree were still knotted together. The actual wedding ceremony took place the day before, but the festivities were far from over. The bride and groom were returning to the groom's house after spending the last two days at the bride's. As they walked to the temple, the band started playing. Only then were we informed that we were expected to dance.
Wait, what?
The slightest reluctance on our side was met with reproving looks. It was tradition, they explained; it was part of their rituals. As the ceremony went on before the idol, the women and children were dancing to the beat before them. We watched in amusement the sight before us, until they pulled us onto the dance floor.
And so we danced, quite pathetically, I might add, for it would have been rude not to. But I'll tell you one thing - it was a hell of a lot of fun!
Once it was all over at the temple, everyone headed back to the house. The ceremony continued inside, and we curiously watched from the front row. It lasted about 20 minutes. We thought it was all over when the bride and groom headed upstairs, but we were wrong. They asked us to follow them upstairs and we had a hunch that the surprises weren't over yet.
Upstairs, the bride and groom took their steps towards the bedroom, only to be met with a door bolted from the inside. As the groom's cousin soon explained to us in English (we would have been quite clueless about the ceremonies otherwise), the groom's sisters were inside and they refused to open the door and let the newlyweds in, unless they were paid money. Yet another tradition.
After a lot of laughs and quite a few negotiations, the groom gave them around 2000 rupees, by sliding the notes under the door. Only then did they open the door. Quite an interesting tradition.
Soon, they came back out and sat down on a straw mat on the floor in the upstairs hall, and proceeded to play certain games; all, thankfully, explained to us by the groom's cousin. The bride and groom played with small shells and uncooked rice, joined in by other members of the family. It was a noisy and exciting affair, with people cracking jokes every now and then. If only we could understand them...
And with that, the ceremonies were over for that day, and everyone went down for lunch.
The reception party was held at home the next day. The house was all set to receive guests. The bride's family and relatives arrived well into the night, and were received grandly with fireworks. This was some wedding!
It was an incredibly joyous atmosphere and I felt deeply humbled to have been a part of this. They accepted us outsiders as a part of their family. We were blessed to have been able to see a Bengali wedding up close and personal; as this was a cultural experience like no other.
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