Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mosaic Monday: The Wedding


Last week I shared the venue for the wedding, the lovely River Oaks Forum Civics Building and Garden.
Today it's wedding time!

It was a very happy morning, although hot!
I've talked about Vivian before. She is a friend and was a colleague of mine at the museum before she decided to study Chinese for a year in Beijing.


First was the Hindu wedding ceremony followed by the Chinese Tea ceremony.
The Hindu marriage symbolizes the physical and especially the spiritual union of man and woman. The Hindu marriage is considered a commitment between man and wife to share one's life and to care for the other.

Ganesh, the elephant headed Hindu god is always present for every puja (ceremony).



The most important item in a Hindu marriage in India is a nuptial cord of necklace called Thali. The Thali is a small pendant attached to a necklace chain. During the wedding ceremony the groom places this on the bride's neck. This is the climax of the wedding ceremony. Ladies would never remove it from their neck while their husband is alive.




The bride was beautiful in her sari of white and gold.



Parents and family elders are shown great respect in both Indian and Chinese cultures and this is reflected in their wedding customs. In the Hindu marriage ceremony, the bride and groom bow down to their parents and elders and touch their feet as a sign of respect. Likewise, the traditional Chinese tea ceremony involves the bride and groom serving tea to their parents as a show of respect from the new couple.

After the wedding and picture taking, the couple changed into their red Chinese clothes for the luncheon. We could have Chinese or Indian food. There was a lot of two fisted, two plate eating going on ... some of both, please!

Live long and prosper.

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.
Each mosaic is different. Each is a story to tell.

Wishing all of you well.

Joy!



30 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Very pretty wedding, Snap... Interesting hearing about all of their traditions... Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy

Carol said...

Very pretty wedding! Enjoyed hearing about the traditions of both cultures!

A Garden of Threads said...

The couple look so happy, thank you for the information explaining each cermony.

xinex said...

What a very interesting cultural wedding. The bride and groom are both lovely and happy...Christine

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What a beautiful blend of two cultures and traditions. Much happiness to the new couple! Your mosaic photos are beautiful!

Cass @ That Old House said...

Beautiful pictures, and what an interesting wedding. It looks lovely -- and how wonderful that the families were able to meld their traditions and come up with something meaningful to all.
Best wishes to the happy couple!
Cass

ch said...

It looks like it was a wonderful day! So interesting to see how different culture celebrate!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures
Have a great week!
Cindy

Rosa said...

What a wonderful wedding. I love hearing about ceremonies. I love all the pics too. Thanks so much for sharing! xo

BernieH said...

Fascinating to hear about the wedding ritual from different cultures ... great photos.

Rajesh said...

Very beautiful images of the function. Beautiful couple.

Bobbi Ann said...

Hi, very lovely wedding and so fascinating about traditions and culture. I hope that you have a wonderful new week!
Hugs...
Bobbi

A Bit of the Blarney said...

Such lovely pictures!!! Must have been a grand celebration! Cathy

Cezar and Léia said...

I wish all happiness for the beautiful couple!I love to learn about this different culture and your pictures are fabulous, thanks so much!
Hugs
Léia ( and little LUNA )

Mary said...

Oh what a beautiful wedding!!! May the couple have long life and much happiness together! Thanks for sharing at MM. :)

EG CameraGirl said...

A beautiful blending of two cultures! Thanks for posting this.

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

Beautiful rituals for the lovely couple. How wonderful.

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Thanks for sharing their happy day, and the information about the traditions.

Dorothy Borders said...

What a beautiful occasion. Thanks for sharing it with us.

bj said...

wow...this is all so amazing and beautiful..
Thanks for stopping by my place. Please come back soon..
xo bj

Sandi (Meme) said...

What great traditions to follow. Thanks for explaining what everthing means, that helps! Thanks also for stopping by and leaving a comment on my mosaic, I love having visitors! Have a great week! Sandi

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this lovely wedding and your explanations of the cultures! What a happy couple!
Oh, that's neat that you lived here! We've been here for 14 years and love it except for the hurricanes!
Be a sweetie and thanks for popping in to see me,
Shelia ;)

My name is Riet said...

Thank you for your kind words on my blog. What a beautiful couple and your pictures and mosaics are great,.

Carol said...

What a wonderful subject for Mosaic Monday! Have a great week!

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful couple! Lovely photos and mosaic!

Crafty Christina said...

Wow, it looks like a beautiful wedding!!! Congrats to the darling couple!

Regina said...

Such beautiful wedding and mosaic.

Enjoy a great week.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful way to celebrate the blending of 2 lives, 2 families and 2 cultures. Thanks for sharing it with us and thanks for your comments on my mosaic. I appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

Oh I love the idea of blending traditions like this. It must have been quite a treat to witness!

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Such a great post! I so enjoyed seeing the beautiful photos and learning some of the culture. Sweet mosaic of a very special event!

Victorian1885 said...

Beautiful post!

Wanda