[HCRA] India: The engagement day

[Daniel Sullivan]

Well the day of the engagement finally arrived and it was a remarkable
affair. We went from Rangiem to Madurai for the ceremony. We all piled into
a couple of vans and cars and then sped off to the restaurant/hall where the
ceremony was held. After the bride and groom and their families were
situated, the groom's family placed all the gifts and items to be used in
the following days wedding out for blessings. 

 

Then the bride sought blessings from both families with the climax being the
groom placing the engagement ring on her finger.

 

That night everyone was in Rangiem so that the groom's family could fetch
the bride from her "home" to their home. Since Maha was from outside the
village they used an alternative house for this purpose. The bride would
spend the night in a room at her future in laws house awaiting the wedding
day while the groom was kept a safely away from her <g>.

 

In the interregnum we took  trip into Madurai to see this impressive temple.
I do not have pictures because it was raining and I did not want to ruin my
camera. Naturally the rain stopped at the right time, when I was furthest
from my camera and the best photo opportunity presented itself. Hopefully YC
has some good pictures of the temple.

 

That night they had a cultural night sponsored by Nara's cousins and
fireworks. It was quite the show in Rangiem.

 

Well here are the pictures so on with the show!

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ko1d/sets/72157594302530304/