Yesterday another one of our teachers got married. The lovely Kalpana Miss had a private Hindu ceremony with her new husband and a select few immediate family members. It was an arranged marriage, which I'm sure can be a scary thing. What was a joyous occasion understandably ended in a deluge of tears. At the end of the celebration Kalpana moved out of her home with her parents and was taken to her new home to live with her husband and his parents, whom she doesn't know the way newly married couples do in many other cultures. Needless to say she was distraught at the end of the long and stressful day. That being said, I'm sure she will be very happy once she settles into her new life, as do many couples in arranged marriages.
On the flip side, the celebration was a lot of fun. Like the wedding I was invited to my first time in Nepal, there were large and colorful tents set up in the yard with seats everywhere and a long table full of food being stationed by many of the women. We were served some beer, some sort of dairy and diced apple mix, and some locally brewed "Chang" or "Jol" I believe. It tasted a bit like rice wine or some watered down saki. I kind of liked it, though my opinion wasn't shared with everyone that tried it for the first time that day. We then had some rice, beans, mutton, and some other items which are now escaping me. After eating and socializing a bit in the tents we were invited up to the roof of Kalpana Miss's former home to act as the gratís entertainment for some of the friends, family, and children. They played a mix of popular Hindi songs and American hits such as Gangnam Style, Taylor Swift, and the timeless Venga Boys' song, Boom Boom Boom Boom (I Want You In My Room). Kalpana's sister was in charge of the entertainment so she kept the music playing and the volunteers dancing. This was of course only about 5 or 10 minutes after eating so we weren't in the best shape, but we entertained none the less.
Some time later we headed back toward the tents to give our blessings to the newly weds. They sat in the middle of the tent, and like the first wedding I attended here, had foreheads caked in tika. This time we added some more to the tika rice cakes and draped some white scarves over their shoulders as well, as is customary. Each of the volunteers were laughed at, presumably for committing some sort of social faux pas (one of which was using your left hand, the hand used for wiping).
We returned to the roof to join in some more food, drink and dance before watching Kalpana get helped into her car and drive off, followed by a bus with her dowry strapped to the roof, which was the most emotional part of the day. Kalpana seemed a wreck but all we can do is hope the best for her and her husband. I would imagine it to be a very difficult thing to experience but it is not our place to judge the validity of the culture. I, and the rest of the Kopila family, wish them a successul and happy marriage.
The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent Blinknow's positions or opinions.
On the flip side, the celebration was a lot of fun. Like the wedding I was invited to my first time in Nepal, there were large and colorful tents set up in the yard with seats everywhere and a long table full of food being stationed by many of the women. We were served some beer, some sort of dairy and diced apple mix, and some locally brewed "Chang" or "Jol" I believe. It tasted a bit like rice wine or some watered down saki. I kind of liked it, though my opinion wasn't shared with everyone that tried it for the first time that day. We then had some rice, beans, mutton, and some other items which are now escaping me. After eating and socializing a bit in the tents we were invited up to the roof of Kalpana Miss's former home to act as the gratís entertainment for some of the friends, family, and children. They played a mix of popular Hindi songs and American hits such as Gangnam Style, Taylor Swift, and the timeless Venga Boys' song, Boom Boom Boom Boom (I Want You In My Room). Kalpana's sister was in charge of the entertainment so she kept the music playing and the volunteers dancing. This was of course only about 5 or 10 minutes after eating so we weren't in the best shape, but we entertained none the less.
Some time later we headed back toward the tents to give our blessings to the newly weds. They sat in the middle of the tent, and like the first wedding I attended here, had foreheads caked in tika. This time we added some more to the tika rice cakes and draped some white scarves over their shoulders as well, as is customary. Each of the volunteers were laughed at, presumably for committing some sort of social faux pas (one of which was using your left hand, the hand used for wiping).
We returned to the roof to join in some more food, drink and dance before watching Kalpana get helped into her car and drive off, followed by a bus with her dowry strapped to the roof, which was the most emotional part of the day. Kalpana seemed a wreck but all we can do is hope the best for her and her husband. I would imagine it to be a very difficult thing to experience but it is not our place to judge the validity of the culture. I, and the rest of the Kopila family, wish them a successul and happy marriage.
The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent Blinknow's positions or opinions.
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ReplyDeleteA lovely read, as always! everyone looks great and seems like you had an enjoyable time! If you do pass by her, please pass my 'congratulations' and wishes! Keep up the interesting posts! tc - srijana
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