This was the first marriage that would take only one day. And you can almost say even shorter as it started at 8.00 and was finalised around 15.00.
All events have a starting time but for many of these it is an indication of when something will start but not the main activity.
When I arrived at 8.00 it meant that there was the family of my colleague but the bride was not yet there. The centre spot with the stove and the places to sit was created and all the items needed for the ceremony were put into place.
Which means wood, something that looked like spices that would be burned, a lot of cups and plates. And plenty of tissues, not for a crying bride or mothers but to clean the hands during the ceremony as several items will make the hands wet or sticky.
During the preparation for the wedding I saw the first time all the paper work that needs to be filled and delivered to get the wedding accepted. The result is a certificate of marriage for the bride and groom. It was also the first time for me to leave my trails at a wedding as I was asked to fill in my details as "one respectable member of the society known to the bride and bride-groom who can justify the desirability of the proposed marriage"
With some more guests having arrived the ceremony could start.
Although fully explained this time I am still not able to give the details of the full ceremony. Basically because it was explained in a language I still didn't capture.
Most of the important elements however I could recognise with the three most important elements being :
- Fire as this is the purest of the elements, the one that can't get dirty I got explained.
- Tying the knot, or in this case closing the necklace to confirm the binding I would say
- Seven steps which are going with a vow at every step.
At the (office) breakfast table learned later about the different type of marriages and how they changed over the years. As a result you have them like I had last Saturday short and to the point and there seem to be parties that take a week which I haven't experienced yet so can't tell yet how to fill this time.
Which means making a picture with everyone present. So the people belonging together come stand next to the couple and the picture is taken. This is done very conscious to make sure every guest is on a picture with the couple. Done here but certainly at the reception.
- Get on the picture with the couple
- Have a nice chat with all the family members, friends etc. that you haven't seen for a long time
- Have a good lunch/dinner, as it is not done to let a guest go without serving food