Last night Jenni and I attended a traditional Bengali wedding. Shubrho and Elisabeth were invited as it was one of the Hospital staffs children. It was an amazing experience and it was unlike any other wedding we have been to. I should clarify that this was not the ceremony but reception 1 of 2 as they have a party for both the bride and the grooms family.
We arrived fashionably late to the party due to a cesarean section. We walked down from the hospital and turned off onto a mud path past the cow tied to a tree. The path followed the side of one of the ponds in the village and was lit with strip bulbs strung up on posts. The sound of tablas grew louder as we approached and would hear the shrill register of Indian music blasting from the sound system.
We were welcomed by the man from the hospital who quickly ushered us into the house. Sandals off we were led down a crowded corridor. He showed us into a room where the Bride was sitting like a deity on a shrine. She was sitting cross legged dressed in colourful saris with lots of jewels stuck to her face. She was surrounded by flowers and the whole scene was lit by a single 1000 watt bulb. We quickly took in the scene and did lots of bowing and namashkar-ing. It was so far very surreal.
We then were invited for the food which occurred in sittings until all the guests were fed. We were in a marquee covered in colourful cloth and crammed with red garden furniture. This meal was an impressive exercise in efficiency. Men dressed in green charged down the rows laying out banana leaf plates, water, cups and no cutlery (not needed if you have hands). The food was great and it just kept coming: chickpea, rice, chicken, mango chutney, popadoms, salad. Desert was a local rice pudding and ball of sugar thing served straight on top of any curry you hadn't finished when it arrived. You didn't have long to eat such a large volume of food as the next sitting was hungry and ready to go.
Unfortunately for Jenni the speed and volume of food was just too much as straight after the meal she ran outside and vomited in a corner. I was sympathetic at the time but there is no denying that it was hilarious. All in all a fantastic wedding. I have so many ideas for when I get back and start planning my own wedding.
Also today Jenni and I managed a baby after delivery on our own today. It was apgar 5 at 1 minute but after some vigorous drying from Jenni and some nervous muttering from me we got her to apgar 9 at 5 minutes. We presented the healthy wee girl to a very proud deedima (grandmother) which was just lovely.
Neil
We arrived fashionably late to the party due to a cesarean section. We walked down from the hospital and turned off onto a mud path past the cow tied to a tree. The path followed the side of one of the ponds in the village and was lit with strip bulbs strung up on posts. The sound of tablas grew louder as we approached and would hear the shrill register of Indian music blasting from the sound system.
We were welcomed by the man from the hospital who quickly ushered us into the house. Sandals off we were led down a crowded corridor. He showed us into a room where the Bride was sitting like a deity on a shrine. She was sitting cross legged dressed in colourful saris with lots of jewels stuck to her face. She was surrounded by flowers and the whole scene was lit by a single 1000 watt bulb. We quickly took in the scene and did lots of bowing and namashkar-ing. It was so far very surreal.
We then were invited for the food which occurred in sittings until all the guests were fed. We were in a marquee covered in colourful cloth and crammed with red garden furniture. This meal was an impressive exercise in efficiency. Men dressed in green charged down the rows laying out banana leaf plates, water, cups and no cutlery (not needed if you have hands). The food was great and it just kept coming: chickpea, rice, chicken, mango chutney, popadoms, salad. Desert was a local rice pudding and ball of sugar thing served straight on top of any curry you hadn't finished when it arrived. You didn't have long to eat such a large volume of food as the next sitting was hungry and ready to go.
Unfortunately for Jenni the speed and volume of food was just too much as straight after the meal she ran outside and vomited in a corner. I was sympathetic at the time but there is no denying that it was hilarious. All in all a fantastic wedding. I have so many ideas for when I get back and start planning my own wedding.
Also today Jenni and I managed a baby after delivery on our own today. It was apgar 5 at 1 minute but after some vigorous drying from Jenni and some nervous muttering from me we got her to apgar 9 at 5 minutes. We presented the healthy wee girl to a very proud deedima (grandmother) which was just lovely.
Neil
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