After leaving the Wagah Border, we set off for Gurdaspur and arrived by early evening the night before the wedding. My friend’s house is in the center of town and was as full of energy as the Wagah Border it seemed. A tent-like structure was setup on the roof so the men of the family and some close friends could gather and socialize. Of course the evening ended with some dancing, which meant that I was able to refine some of my Punjabi dance moves.
Later in the evening, my friend took us on a little tour of the city that included the “Little Flower Convent School” and an airplane of display that he described as “Toophunny” (or at least that’s what I thought he called it?)! Then that night I had the distinct pleasure of staying in a hotel that was proud to be Gurdaspur’s “only 2-star hotel” (it was actually fairly comfortable in case you’re wondering). Though my time was short, I managed to met a lot of interesting, fun, and hospitable people in Gurdaspur.
The next morning we woke up early and drove to Batala for the wedding. It was interesting to see such a green and fertile countryside as I was naively expecting Punjab to be more dry and arid. Of course, that was before I came to know that Punjab means land of five rivers!
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| Gurdaspur |
At any rate, after reaching the central area in Batala, our wedding procession stopped about a block away from the wedding pavilion. There, a colorfully decorated horse was waiting for the groom. After he climbed onto the horse, we followed the horse and rider into the pavilion area and were met by an Army band that was playing drums and bagpipes! Our entourage entered the large open area and then the families met and exchanged gifts, breakfast was served. Then 60-70 of us went to a nearby Sikh temple for the “official” marriage ceremony. There, the men sat on one side and the women on the other with the bride and groom sitting at the front. Everyone was seated on the floor with the Sikh book and the priest at the front. After the couple performed some rituals together and walked around the book a couple times, the short ceremony finished with some typical India “sweets” (something like warm cookie dough?) being passed around. Apart from being a fairly short ceremony, it was obviously quite a bit different than most of the wedding ceremonies I have attended.
Afterward it was finished, we returned to the wedding pavilion to find the rest of the crowd (easily 500+) already socializing, eating, and drinking. Though we were outdoors and it was still afternoon, it did not take very long for the dancing to begin. The new couple entered the dance floor last and as they did, the rupee notes started flying. I was tempted to collect a few, but did not want to make a scene…
After the wedding ceremony, I reconnected with some of the gentlemen from the previous night, so when the reception concluded I was invited over to someone’s house. In a little more than 24 hours, I had made so many new friends that I was a bit disappointed to have to leave the next morning for Dharamshala…
to be continued…“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10
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