;)
For those who are following the wedding, especially my relatives and friends in India, I apologize for having left it so long. I kept not having the time that I felt I needed to get back to it. But I am back now, and will finish this very evening, before I go to bed.
I left the wedding after Anil had tied the knot that bound the sacred necklace to the body and soul of the woman who was now his wife, to the applause and cheering of those in attendence.
There was still much more to come, however.
;)
And so we continue...
;)
Soon comes a ceremony in which the brother of the bride, Ganesh, repeatedly hands his sister a large scoop of rice, after which she and the groom stand and together pour it into the fire, further symbolizing the bond between themselves and their families. The bride and groom then circle the wedding platform. This happens a total of seven times.
Here is Ganesh, transferring the rice.
;)
The bride and groom drop the rice into the fire.
;)
The bride and groom circle the wedding platform. Please take note of the two chairs at right, now occupied by Anil's brother and his wife.
;)
In the US, everybody knows about the exchange of rings that go on the fingers of the bride and groom, thus telling everyone that they are married. In India, the groom also places a marriage ring upon the second toes of both feet.
Feet seldom disappear into shoes the way they do here, so this ring will almost always be visible when Sandy is in a public place.
;)
And then he dips her toes into rice, formed into the shape of an elephant, which rests atop a banana leaf.
;)
Afterwards, there is a reception. Well-wishers line up to offer their congratulations.
;)
Anil is congratulated by some of his friends.
;)
Everybody wants to get their picture taken with the bride and groom. For the most part, I leave this task to the local photographer.
You might think that the ceremonies are all over now, but they aren't.