Fireworks Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

You know what? I think the use of fireworks in India is an all-year round type of thing. After Diwali begins the wedding season and it becomes normal to see music bands marching down the street, with adults and children dancing to their Bollywood tunes, as the groom, with his face covered in garlands and usually travelling on a horse, is led to the bride’s doorstep.

If you live near a wedding hall or temple, which is our case, than the evening ends with loud tunes of Gujarati gharba, occasional interruptions from the musician going, “hello, hello, 1-2-3 check, hello, hello,” and for the grand finale, noisy fireworks light up the sky.

Right now, every day is a spectacle and a feast for the eyes. The wedding party and guests dress up in the most brilliant and glittery Indian clothes imaginable. I’ve considered crashing one of the weddings to try out the food but I’d have to completely glam up.

My host family is getting wedding invitations every other day. They’ve had to decline a few invitations as they wind up double- or triple-booked. PG just came back from a wedding. And our downstairs neighbour is currently busy preparing a dance routine for her cousin’s wedding. All there is to discuss these days is just that - weddings.

Even while we were in Rajasthan murmurs could be heard about weddings. This is a picture of a wedding procession we saw taking place in Jodhpur. My cousin and I were quite tired but we still got caught up in all the excitement.