Hindu Wedding: The Ceremony

On Sunday, we attended the wedding of Hans and Lovena at the ornately decorated auditorium in Rose Hill, Mauritius. This Hindu wedding ceremony was a celebration of family, as parents, grandparents, and other family members sat on the stage as part of the service.  First the bridal couple exchanged their fragrant flower necklaces with each other, followed with a civil ceremony by a government official, whose job it was to have the happy couple show their ID cards (I kid you not), fill out some forms and write their names in a big black book.  Following that, the Hindu holy man officiant began the real ceremony which included a great deal of other people---parents who held a candle on a tray in front of the couple, a ritual of gift giving involving the best man and maid of honor, then the lighting of a small hibachi fire in front of the couple, followed by their circular tour of the fire seven times around.  Each different activity was punctuated by prayers, music, and important sounding pronouncements by the officiant.  At the end of the nearly two hour service, the happy couple traveled back to the bride's, then groom's, houses for the receptions, which also were defined by traditional foods and rituals.  We were welcomed with open arms and hearts, and as you can see, were encouraged to take pictures at every turn.  And the celebration did not end there . . . on Monday, the bride and groom families hosted each other at their respective homes.  Sadly, we had to work that day.  The whole weekend was another in our series of wonderful cultural experiences in Mauritius!