A couple of weeks ago I was so happy to attend pre-wedding festivities, the wedding, and the reception for a friend and colleague. She's a wonderful young woman, beautiful inside and out. Smart, down to earth, focused; she knows who she is and what she wants; she's respectful of her family and culture, but is also making her own way in the world. I mention the pre-wedding festivities because the events went on for days! See, she's Indian, and her culture really celebrates weddings! She invited me to share in all the different ceremonies and fun times so I could learn about her culture and experience something new.
And this was all taking place about 250 miles from my home, in two cities. So there was driving and hotels involved. I knew that I wouldn't know anyone except the Bride and her cousin (whom I'd only met once or twice) at the events.
First the henna party. Bridal henna (Mehndi) is intricate and takes a loooong time to apply. Her's started at about 2pm and was still in progress when I arrived at 5; she wasn't up and walking around until about 6. That's 4 hours of sitting pretty still and not being able to use your hands! But it was so beautiful!! All the Bridesmaids, Bride's family and friends come over for a "girls night in" party - food, fun, laughter, and henna for everyone!
The next day was the Maiyan and Jaggo ceremonies. Again, the home is filled with family and friends, food, fun, and laughter. Music and ritual. And color - everywhere color. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay for the Jaggo, so no photos of that!
Finally the wedding day! My friend's wedding attire was absolutely stunning!! And so was she. I was able to be at her family home early to watch her get ready. Hair and make-up started at 4am!! Indian weddings take place in the morning, so the preparations had to start early. I was honored to be included. I'm sure by this time, many of her friends and family were wondering who I was and what I was doing always hanging around, but they were gracious and hospitable.
One of the most personally moving of these experiences came at the wedding. While all the family and friends had been gracious, I still felt a bit like a fish out of water. Especially at the temple. I had no idea of where to go or what to do. I only knew from my friend that I had to cover my head, take off my shoes and sit on the floor. I didn't want to do anything to offend anyone. So I was hanging out on the fringes, by myself. I was approached by a woman with her husband and daughter who thought I looked very familiar and couldn't figure out where she knew me from. I knew we hadn't met before because I was so far from home. She asked me why I was standing there by myself. I related I just didn't really want to get in the way and wasn't quite sure of where to go. She took me by the hand and said, "Oh no, you come with me," and off we went. Yasmine took me under her wing and helped me feel a part of the wedding. She made sure I could see when the Groom/Bride families met outside the temple, I sat with her family for tea (and lunch after the wedding), and she continued to watch over me and sit with me once we went inside the temple for the wedding. I'm so sorry I didn't get a photo of her and her family.
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| A peek of Yasmine in the lavender, just in front of the woman in magenta |
One of my friends, when I told her this story, said, "God sent an angel to guide you!"
Yes, indeed. And here's the truly amazing part of this story - you see,
Yasmine is a Muslim, who befriended this Christian, at a wedding at the Sikh Gurdwara temple.
Graciousness, hospitality, love of family and friends - isn't that what the world needs more of?
Oh, and the wedding reception?? A huge dance party and a total blast!!
