Weddings & White Horses

It's not unusual to see a white horse and a marching band just walking down the streets in Delhi (I often see marching band members in full white suits napping in grassy spots along the road).  That's how you know it's wedding season.  With wedding season coming to an end this year, we attend our very first Indian wedding!  It was the wedding of a co-worker of mine and his beautiful Bride.

We were excited to find out we would be arriving with the Groom (on a white horse, of course) and his marching band.  We danced in the procession and finally arrived.  There were some ceremonies at the entrance that involved bargaining and money being given to the bride's family.  Then we were officially welcomed with a tikka (red powder mark on forehead) and flower garland.  The Bride arrived in a beautifully adorned orange & pink Lehenga Choli (skirt and fitted blouse).  They took photographs and then the ceremony began.

This song was stuck in our heads for days!

Groom ready to go on his white horse!

The marching band & notice the large lights they are hand-carrying.  All of this was hooked up to large batteries in the back of a small truck.

This guy motioned for me to come closer and then blew that tuba with all his might!!

Dancing with the Groom's party

We arrive and are greeted by the Bride's family for some ceremonial events (all of us westerners were a bit confused about this part).

The Bride arrives with her family

They included a western ring ceremony - in Indian weddings this is usually done at the Engagement ceremony. 

Beautiful Bride & Groom

Lookin' sharp in your linen suit!

"Vintage" pink & blue sari

Hindu ceremony

Seven Vows - Bride & Groom walk around the sacred fire 7 times to make the bond of marriage eternal

This & That...

We realized recently that we have too many gadgets.  With Tim's two cameras, my little camera, Tim's ipod, and 2 video cameras, we have way too much documentation of our travels.  That makes it hard to pick photos to share on our blog with you (if anyone is even reading this)... so that is our excuse for not updating more often!  Looking back through the photo roll on Tim's ipod, we realized it gives a pretty good snapshot of our life this year, during our second year in India.  We hope you enjoy these ipod "snaps" as they are called in India!

Our flight from Chicago to Delhi in July 2011.  Only 7477 miles to go!

Beautiful sunset over the Atlantic - on the way back to India!

In an Old Delhi cycle rickshaw (this one was actually taken last year)

At breakfast in the peaceful mountains of Dharamsala, India

Town of McLeod Ganj, Himalayan Mountains

Singapore, December 2011 (The now-deserted apartment building Tim & his family used to live in)

100 + and Singapore noodles... yum!

The sick patient in Chiang Mai, Thailand - good hospital!

Got some antibiotics and I survived!

With Tom Cruise in Bangkok (Katie was out picking up some Krispy Kreme downstairs in the mall).

The historical Red Fort in Delhi (and we STILL haven't been inside for a tour).  This photo was taken just after I got hit by an auto-rickshaw when crossing the street in Old Delhi.

An interesting advertisement at a local market in Delhi.  That gives me confidence!  LOL

At Humayan's Tomb, Delhi last year (designed by the same architect who designed the Taj Mahal).

Those are a few snapshots from our year in New Delhi (and a few flashbacks to last year).  We can't believe we are almost at our 2 year mark for India!  There is still much to see and do... so we signed on for another year in India.  Hopefully next year will be full of good health and explorations!

Happy Holi-day!

Holi is the festival of colors!!  It is celebrated by Hindus to celebrate the beginning of spring.  For Holi, people throw colored & scented powder on each other.  Kids also throw water balloons and squirt colored water with water guns.  Our white shirts were very quickly tie-dyed!

At the AES campus apartments

With our housekeeper, Renuka (right), and neighbors celebrating Holi!

A family having some Holi fun

Even the vegetable seller is celebrating Holi

Tim after some Holi fun

No one can escape the colors

With the AES school guards

Holi!!

We saw many pink-faced men walking on the street.

More people after Holi celebrations!

Nizamuddin Walk

Nizamuddin Neighborhood

 Lovely ladies in the Muslim temple

We took a step outside our normal routine (go to work, the gym, shopping, home) to experience something cultural in Delhi.  Something we should do much more often!  Organized by a friend at school, we took a walking tour through Nizamuddin.

Nizamuddin is a Sufi Muslim neighborhood about 1 km from our house...Sufism is described as an inner, mystical dimension of Islam.  Sufis believe they can become closer to God through turning away from everything except the love of God.  They can achieve this closeness to God through praying, dancing, singing, and other forms of art.

 

Boys playing and jumping off of a wall around the Mausoleum

He was taking a photo of us on his phone while I took a photo of him!

This boy was shouting "photo, photo"!  On the rooftop of the mausoleum.

 

Girl in red watching the boys' cricket game.

 

Cricket in the courtyard

  

Muslim men at the entryway.

Man selling flowers and offering blankets outside temple.

Inside the covered market before going into the temple.

Street scene from a window.

Street scene again - hundreds of sandals piled up on tables for sale.

Ghalib museum - he is known as the last great poet of India before British rule.

Offerings for sale

They loved that she was recording a movie on her iPad!

3 tombs - The tombs of women are flat to represent paper, and the tombs of men have raised part to represent pens.  This symbolizes the man writing the life story of the woman.

The entrance to the maze of streets in Nizamuddin.  It is low so everyone must bow when they enter.