Can you Find Parjeet in Kiran's Palm? (Punjabi Wedding Rituals in Calgary)

 This is it, my last Calgary trip in 2015. Just like before, I'm here to celebrate.
 I arrive at Kiran's right on time for some chai and the finishing henna touches.

 Satvir's beautiful work deserves to be taken outside:
 That's how I find out that Kiran might be the only person in the world who's scared of ladybugs:


The second night needs no introductions, but we have a sign, just in case.


 I really like it when men wear traditional Indian clothes at parties. It also gives my pictures a lot of flavour:






 The third day brings colourful rangolis:
 Parjeet is a Green Lantern fan:



 Back at Kiran's place, even the car is in festive attire:




 Now we all know who's getting married next:
 As usual, the rangoli doesn't survive the night:
 But it will last a little longer in the shape of two handprints left by the bride's mom on the wall:

 Frustrating enough, I still can't read Punjabi, but I don't really have to, since I've done this about a hundred times, so I can take a wild guess about what it'll happen next.
 The choora ceremony is the last pre-wedding ritual and it involves all Kiran's maternal uncles:

In case you are still not sure who's going to get married tomorrow, there she is:
love.more.cosmin

You like? You want? Give me a shout: cosmindanilaphoto@gmail.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Naf & Aleem - Ismaili Pre-wedding Rituals in Edmonton

Image
 The Ismaili wedding ceremonies last about 4 days and everything is showered with flower petals.  The colourful glitter is added to the mehndi design solely for picture purposes.  Something like this:  Shyna, the bride's sister is bringing holy water from jamatkhana:  In order to maintain the purity of the water, she's not allowed to speak or even smile before she hands the gari over to the bride's mother:  Not such an easy task because she wants hard cash in exchange:   During the Mandhvo, four uncles bring pineapples to the bride's house and place them in the four corners of the room. It's a known fact that evil doesn't like pineapples and it will not enter the premises.  However, now it's very safe for the bride to show up:  A similar story unfolds at the groom's place:  Aleem's sisters bring the gari with holy water:  Winning:  The area is secured in the same way, with the pineapples' help:  A paste made of chickpea fl...
Read more

Farah & Rahim - Ismaili Wedding at the Sheraton Cavalier

Image
Farah: "On our first date, he showed up an hour late, and our first stop was a gas station; only to realize he forgot his wallet! Needless to say, it was no ordinary first date. I knew there was something special about Rahim from that very first moment... and the adventure hasn't stopped since. I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with the man who makes all my dreams come true!"  Before that happens, he has to figure out how to make a tie knot.  Maybe his groomsmen can help.  Meanwhile, at Farah's home:  Mom ties a lemon to her outfit with the specific purpose of warding off all evil spirits: She's now ready to be picked up by her prince:   Rahim: "I proposed to the woman of my dreams in September 2015, in Vancouver. I had an elaborate plan like a horse and carriage ride through Stanley Park. Needless to say, Farah asks way too many questions and I was forced to come up with an impromptu backup plan. We started to walk along English Bay and I saw a...
Read more

Ruppy & Indy - Punjabi Wedding at the Magnolia in Calgary

Image
This year I had more weddings in Calgary than Edmonton, and the Ramada has become one of my second homes. But this is not about that. This is about a Punjabi love story filled with emotions, hunting trophies and party light sticks. It starts as expected, with the bride getting ready at her home. Before anyone else, she makes her way inside the gurdwara, where she'll go into hiding for a couple of hours or so, waiting for everyone else to come. Meanwhile, at the groom's home, Ella's feeling creative: A bright red, royal turban is growing in front of everybody's eyes: Oh, deer: Apparently, everybody is in a hurry to get to the temple, hence all the sports cars: The milni takes place under Ruppy's undetected supervision. Soon after that, everybody makes their way inside Darbar Sahib. An ancient ritual consists of smart phones popping up at the first sight of the bride: It's always a victory to catch the first look and the authentic expressions on the couple's f...
Read more