WEBLINKS
| |
The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú is not responsible for the content of external websites.
|
 |  | Part one of a series by Priya Mistry
On 4 September my cousin Kamlesh will be getting married to his long term partner Vaneesa.
As with all weddings there have been months of preparation, however with Asian weddings the big day can split into two parts - as their wedding will be - which means lots more preparations!
Being Hindu, religion plays a major part when a wedding takes place. As there are so many traditions and practices to follow, the ceremony can start a few days in advance of the actual wedding day.
For this reason, the registry marriage can be held on a separate day, to help make the traditional Asian wedding slightly less hectic.
Ìý| Ìý |  | Part of the ceremony
|
So on 22 November last year, Kamlesh and Vaneesa prepared themselves for the legal part of their marriage.
The groom is from Oldham, so for his family an early start meant waking up at two in the morning!
Before our journey to the hotel for the wedding, there was a religious practice that took place at 8am - so already we knew it was going to be a long day!
This practice is called the Sagai, or New Life. A Sagai can be seen as an engagement between the couple, a declaration of their commitment to each other which is made in front of God to give them a blessed marriage.
It also represents the couple embarking on the next part of their life, doing sotogether. As a sign of acceptance, the bride then receives gifts from the groom’s family.
This was to be the only religious event for the day, as after that took place we had a few snacks then moved along to a hotel for the registry to take place.
Here is where the legal marriage takes place and the couple exchange their vows.
Afterwards we had a few group pictures taken, and the married couple had posed pictures taken. Then the rest of the day was spent celebrating their union with lots of food, drink and music.
ÌýAnxiety, nerves and happiness
| | Ìý |
Speaking to Kamlesh and Vaneesa afterwards they said that they had experienced mixed emotions about the day.
They both felt worried in case things did not go to plan, but they also felt excited, anxious and nervous.
| Ìý |  | Sikh weddings also have lots of formalities
|
They seemed very relaxed together as the evening progressed and said they felt extremely happy.
As I had said before that this was only the legal marriage that had taken part, now the families have to start arranging for the bigger Asian wedding which will take place in September.
This will be much bigger as the ceremony starts on the Wednesday before the wedding day and the family will be expecting over 500 guests!
We will also have more religious practices on both the days before the wedding and on the day.
|
