Preparation...
Items necessary for the purification ceremony at Rajan's house prior to the wedding. This was very interesting - only family and close friends attend. In the ceremony, simple brushes made of plant twigs are dipped in mustard oil, yogurt, semolina and various spices, then annointed on the feet, knees, elbows, shoulders (joints) and on the face of the groom.
This is done 5 times, first by the parents, then siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles, then by family friends and friends.
I was honoured by the way Raj's family treated me like their own son. I functioned in the role of best man, though formally this doesn't exist in Hindu weddings (or other Indian weddings to my knowledge other than Christian ceremonies).
After this annointing, Rajan was playfully covered with a tumeric based mix to further clean his skin. Many of these ingredients are found in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine and an aunt explained, function like scrubs and purifiers.
We had a lot of fun in this ceremony. We laughed when Raj would protest with each annointing, hehe.
Preparation...
Items necessary for the purification ceremony at Rajan's house prior to the wedding. This was very interesting - only family and close friends attend. In the ceremony, simple brushes made of plant twigs are dipped in mustard oil, yogurt, semolina and various spices, then annointed on the feet, knees, elbows, shoulders (joints) and on the face of the groom.
This is done 5 times, first by the parents, then siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles, then by family friends and friends.
I was honoured by the way Raj's family treated me like their own son. I functioned in the role of best man, though formally this doesn't exist in Hindu weddings (or other Indian weddings to my knowledge other than Christian ceremonies).
After this annointing, Rajan was playfully covered with a tumeric based mix to further clean his skin. Many of these ingredients are found in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine and an aunt explained, function like scrubs and purifiers.
We had a lot of fun in this ceremony. We laughed when Raj would protest with each annointing, hehe.