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The invitation for the Main Event was Sunday at 10am, so we duly arrived on time. The ladies and the men were segregated. The seating choices were floor mats or benches. I chose the homemade bench - perhaps six inches wide. The ladies barely spoke any English, which surprised me because English is the common language of Fiji. They barely spoke to each other for that matter. My husband was given a padded chair to sit on, lucky devil.
After half an hour the bridal party emerged from the house and the softly weeping bride had her feet painted. Then they went back inside.
At eleven, the groom arrived to much honking of car horns and drums beating. To my amazement, the seated ladies took little notice and didn't even get up. Well I stood up to look - not least because my backside was getting progressively more uncomfortable by the minute!
The wedding ceremony didn't begin until about 1pm. By now I was in agony, but standing up and moving around wasn't an option. During the hour and a half ceremony, everyone went for lunch in relays.
Pea & Potato curry, pumkin curry, tomato curry, tamarind chutney, rice and pooris. No utensils, so got a bit messy, but it was all delicious. Pineapple flavoured 'squash' to drink.
The stunningly pretty bride and groom looked miserable during the ceremony. They didn't make eye contact with each other - indeed she kept her eyes downcast the entire time. It was an arranged marriage, although apparently they did know each other.
Strange and rather sad really.
It was an interesting experience, but not one I'm in a hurry to repeat.
p.s. I was told that all Indian brides are expected to be sad because they are leaving their family. Some of them weep throughout the ceremony, and some wait til they're about to be taken away by their new husband - then all hell breaks out with much weeping and wailing by all the female members of her family.
Despite the discomfort I'm sure it was very interesting.
I've wept today but I doubt it would be on valid terms in Fiji or India.
I went to one last year in Rajasthan, the celebrations lasted for five days just on the brides side. Every night the large family/guests gathered at the house, there were drinks, dances and delicious food. The bride to be also danced a few times and there was much laughter.
On the day of the wedding, set in the spacious grounds of a five star hotel, a thousand guests were present. The groom arrived on a fine white stallion dressed in an red turban and long shirwani, a military band played in front. Everyone including the women rushed up to see him for he looked like a handsome prince.
The indian wedding ceremony is long and the couple seated on intricate chairs looked beautiful, more so when they did make eye contact once or twice and smiled, before looking away again. The groom smiling at the guests. The guests were not segregated, but most of the men headed towards a separate place where drinks were being served! While the ceremonies went on a dance troupe arrived, a group of 15 women wearing traditional dress and they performed three fantastic dances for the guest, swirling round and round with bright smiles. Then food was served, a vast variety of vegetarian food, desserts and drinks- served by waiters dressed in white uniforms. Some of the English guests present said it was one of the best weddings they had ever been to.
At last when the wedding was over late in the evening the couple were taken to a separate room. In the morning when the girl was to leave she embraced her tearful father and mother, parents who had brought up their daughter of 22 years old with love and affection. And when she embraced her crying father for the last time, every eye became moist at the sight! The coldest of hearts were moved, a sight so full of genuine love, tears and warmth!
It was a special wedding, the brides father went to an extraordinary expense, even by normal standards.
CH glad u enjoyed the wedding even though you were near the flames!
One of the things I'll always be grateful for is having lived in the far east and being able to witness Indian, Malay and Chinese celebrations. They made ours look dull.
It makes one wonder about how communities develop in different countries too. The Indians came to Fiji over 150 years ago as indentured labourers for the sugar cane industry. The Indo-Fijians now make up a whopping 48% of the population.
Compared to the big, fun-loving Fijians, they can be quite dour, yet this is not something I noticed when I travelled in India. So have the Indo-Fijians developed a different racial personality? Do their customs now differ subtlety to the customs of Indians in India? Hmm, interesting stuff. Any anthropologists out there?