Have you ever wondered what a traditional Indian wedding is like? This blog post tells the story of when my friends and I unexpectedly crashed a wedding in the streets of New Delhi!
One night in Delhi, my friends and I heard live music drifting through the open windows as we were finishing dinner, and we decided to investigate. The street was full of men playing instruments and holding huge lamps that looked like jellyfish. At first we just took pictures from the other side of the road, but the guests quickly invited us into the procession (as foreigners we were apparently quite a novelty.) There were several carriages covered in flowers and pulled by beautiful white horses, and there was a tent that was open at one side and filled with tables to eat at.
Next a car pulled up, and inside was the groom. We then realized that we had crashed a traditional Indian wedding! He rolled down his window and shook our hands, saying that we were welcome to join the festivities. Then two elephants joined the procession, with their faces painted in beautiful colors. We were all so excited to see elephants for the first time! Little did we know how much time we’d be spending with these amazing creatures… After all, the village I soon began teaching at wasn’t called the Elephant Village for nothing!
A man brought a turban for Sam to wear. Between his turban and the tailor-made shirt and trousers that he’d bought earlier that day, he looked like Indian royalty. We would periodically lose sight of him only to later find him dancing, surrounded by spectators. A little while later, a man grabbed Caroline and sat her on top of his drum. After the initial shock, she had a great time dancing and clapping while on the drum. Kelly, Jana and I also got to take turns sitting on the drums and dancing. Then someone got a trumpet for Kelly to play, because she can play just about any brass instrument. Not only was she very good, but she managed to play along with the other musicians!
We wanted to stay long enough to see the actual ceremony, but our friend Surendra said that they would be dancing in the street for two more hours BEFORE the actual wedding, when they would finally meet up with the bride and her family.
We finally left around midnight – despite the protests of the other guests – to catch up on sleep and recover from our jetlag. Still, crashing a traditional Indian wedding is one travel experience that I will never forget!
Want to know more about my travels in India? Click here to read my previous post about sightseeing in Delhi or my next post about my favorite places in Jaipur. Or, you can browse all of my travel trips and adventures in India and Asia!
Happy Travels!
XOXO Ann