A few days ago we attended Mann and Sima's wedding. It was quite the occasion with rituals from the past and Hindu rituals for marriage. It was attended by over 100 family and friends. A wedding in Nepal is very important and relatives travel long distances to be there. The first half is centered only on the groom while the bride is getting ready. He sits with the Brahmin priest and goes through all the rituals from his holy book and the groom dresses as a peasant. When the bride arrives the groom changes into a suit. The bride is dressed in a red sari and veil and then rings are exchanged. There is a small fire which they have to circle three times. After the ceremony they sit in red chairs and family and friends place tikkas on their foreheads. We were honoured as family and given tikkas and malas as well. This was the first day at Mann's parents home.
The second day the celebration moved to Sima's family home and the tikka ritual continued with many guests from Sima's village of Tatapani. Also the guests also washed the bride and groom's feet. They take the water wash the feet and then drink and pour the water over their own heads. It is something to do with the honouring of the bride and her leaving the family. We were again honoured as part of the family sitting next to Mann and Sima throughout the ceremony. It was very interesting and so different from our own culture.
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