Foreigners take their vows in Punjabi

FASCINATED with the colourful Indian weddings, foreign couples are saying their marriage vows in a small village of Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district.

At the Citrus County, a resort in the midst of Kinnow farms in Chaunni Kalan, couples from Australia have had the experience of going through the rituals of the Indian wedding.

Be it the mehendi (henna application) or sangeet (musical night) ceremonies or being part of a lively baraat (groom’s procession), the couples get hands-on experience of a Punjabi wedding. Interestingly, these couples are already married and in their middle-age. Some of them are even grandparents.

They are accompanied by their friends, relatives, children and grandchildren.

“We have had a few couples in the last three years who wanted to experience the Indian-style marriage. This year, we had two couples who exchanged vows with full fanfare. We have had guests from Melbourne, Sydney and other places in Australia,” Citrus County owner Harkirat Ahluwalia told IANS.

Ahluwalia, also a New Age agriculturist- entrepreneur, points out that the marriages performed at his resort may not be the typical “big-fat-Punjabi-wedding”, but provides a simple yet colourful experience to the guests.

The marriage ceremony includes a jaago, a traditional rural Punjab ceremony in which village women carry a decorated earthen pot with candles on the heads and sing songs. They also dance to lively bhangra and gidda. Pipe-band by ex-servicemen also features in the wedding.

A colourful chariot adds to the charm of the baraat with the grooms and children seated atop.

The guests from abroad are briefed beforehand on buying traditional Indian outfits like kurta-pajama (for men) with Indian jackets and salwarand lehengas for women.