A Wedding!

Today is the engagement ceremony of our church night watchman, Rakesh, who is around 25 years old. He is a chauffeur by day and guards our campus at night.

A group of people from his bride 's house will arrive at his home this afternoon (sans the girl) bearing gifts. They will go through some Hindu rituals and later on have a vegetarian lunch and return. The wedding solemnizes on Sunday April 29th.

The groom"s party will go to the bride 's house on Sunday where a long and complicated wedding ceremony will take place sometime in the middle of the night, depending on the auspicious time determined by Hindu priests.The farewell takes place the next day.

The bride will stay in her new home for a couple of days and her brother or a male relative comes to take her back to her mother 's house where she will relax for a few days after which her husband will come to take her back. This takes place in the more traditional families, many modern couple skip all this.

In Rakesh 's case the initial coming and going will take place after which the bride will live with her parents for a year until the gonna. The gonna is the final settling down with the husband. This gives time to the couple to get used to the idea that they are married and the man to establish himself. The gonna procedure usually takes place among the peasants.

So we are congratulating Rakesh and I will send his wedding gift (cash).
Its too hot to attend the afternoon ceremony as the temp. is 110 or 45 degrees!