A February Wedding!

Beautiful and serene, she sat waiting to be guided out to the groom. The crowd of relatives did not unnerve her. Composed and smiling she received each relative with warmth. Flashlights from cameras shone and I was hurrying up and down busy. But I couldn't help notice in the chaos, that she sat there as pretty as ever. That's my sister.

I look back at the time when the wedding took place and everything is still clear in my memory. The happy get togethers of relatives(ofcourse with the nosy ones playing spoilers at times), the stress, the emotions and the ceremonies. It was a quick affair but everything happened with utmost ease and perfection. I wish i was just a spectator at the wedding. I would've had more time to see all the ceremonies, and truly enjoy. I did, but I was kept busy throughout. However, the importance I got being the 'brides sister' was  unparalleled! Happily I went about the chores assigned, trying my best not to falter. An upset bride and sister is the last thing I wanted! And once Che (I call her that) gets upset about something..ahem...(I dint say anything Che)! ;)

The Wedding

I fell in love with the Manipuri style of weddings. It is simple and elegant. A pretty white mandap is set up in the courtyard of the girls house where the marriage ceremony takes place. The men are dressed in white phaijom (dhoti)  and Phi( a coth to cover the upper part of the body). The married women wear the traditional mayek naibi phaneks( something like a wrap)  and  white Rani Phi's. The unmarried girls wear the same phanek paired with dainty and pretty phi's  in varied colours.

Together for life!

My sister was wearing what is called the Poloi, the bridal dress of Manipur. The groom wears the Phaijom and Phi in white and a turban in white. The ceremony is held around the Tulsi plant unlike the rest of the Hindu cultures where it is solemnised around fire. The tulsi plant is considered sacred in our culture. We pray to the tulsi every morning. I think this is connected to the Vaishnavite ( beleivers in Lord Vishnu) culture. Manipuris are predominantly Vaishnavites. Amidst the traditional wedding songs sung by some artists, and the beats of the pung(dhol), the ceremony takes place. The groom is seated while the bride walks around him seven times. Everytime she reaches him she pours flowers on the groom. The flowers are tiny white ones, not sure of the name. My sister walked so beautifully, I felt like clapping! Everyone complimented her for the way she walked, so elegant. This is another feature of the Manipuri wedding. The bride is expected to be the epitome of elegance. In the end she offers the two garlands to the groom. These two garlands are made by the bride herself on the mornin gof the wedding day. It is yet again a simple string of the same white flowers. The groom in turn removes one garland and offers it to the bride. Ok, I missed this part!! And I was quite peeved that I missed one of the main parts of the wedding!

The marriage ceremony came to end at 6 pm . Yes, that early. It started at around 3. Every wedding has the emotional part where the parents see off the girl. Damn. I felt my eyes welling up. I tried not to blink. She was about to leave for her new home, new life and new experiences...
The brides family goes to drop her off. So we all piled into cars lined up in a procession, with a truck full of 'band baaja's' leading the way. I obviously had to sit with my sister (yay!). The car in which we were sitting has to have the lights on( another 'tradition' I guess). So, sniffing and sentimental we were driven by che's brother in law. My aunt and cousins too were there in the car..all teary eyed. Now, who doesn't like to see a bride pass by... 'Yam phazei ko, Iteima!'( looking very pretty, bhabhi) , a guy on a bike calls out from the road...umm....I hear a giggle, its my little cousin Sunaina. We all start laughing, including my sister!! I wouldn't blame that anonymous guy, Che did look very pretty!

The Chakouba

Five days after the wedding Che came back with my brother-in-law(itei) and her new family for the chakouba. She looked beautiful. Chakouba is a feast that is held at the girls home and a variety of dishes are prepared by the bamons (brahmins who used to cook for the kings). The feast had two- three varieties of fish, like row, saireng, dals, eromba( typical spicy dish), fried fish, rice and a lot of other things. All superbly delicious. The banana leaves were laid out on the courtyard and we took our places, my sister flanked by my little cousins and myself. A mound of rice adorned my 'plate'. Th bamon came by and served the fish, followed by the rest of the preparations. I gorged and asked for more rice, unaware of the video/photographs being taken. Wow!  I could feel my tummy expanding, but i couldn't care less. The food was too yummy to be not had! I'll handle my guilt pangs later.. Che on the other hand was 'elegance eating' (!) with her pretty fingers. How do you do it Che??!! I don't think I can ever do that!
 

Satisfied with the aromas and variety we then had the kwa(beetle nut and leaf). The end of of the sumptuous meal!

It had rained for a couple of days after the wedding and Manipur became a beauty I had never seen and I took out my light cardigans. It had become cold. The perfect weather.

Everyone had begun missing Che after the wedding. The children went quiet and I was missing all the things we shared..including the conditioner, nail polish remover etc!! :P

The two weeks came to an end..relatives started leaving and we left Manipur, back to Delhi. My sister came back a few days later..and for the first time she did not come straight home...