James and Esther's Wedding

James and Esther were married in great splendor under auspicious heavens with the ceremonies performed in traditional sandskrit. Of course they were nice enough to have the prayers and vows translated into english for everyone. The wedding event spanned 3 days with very different events held in honor of the uniting of two family and two souls. The first formal event was the mehindi ceremony, traditionally for the women only, in which we gather for singing an dancing while the henna is applied to the hands and feet of all the women.

I was also allowed to have my hands hennaed, a very fun break in tradition. The music was performed by a small group of folk musicians playing lively dance tunes. One of the troup would often perform a dance durring a song and encourage us to dance. eventually the wedding party ventured to the dance floor. The henna designs on all the ladies were absolutely stunning. Of course food was served with due time and the variety of flavor was fantastic. At the end we were all full and retired to our hotel room. The Matranga family was staying in the Senate in a huge modern hotel complex called the Diamond District. We had a seventh and top floor appartment with great space and modern comforts. White marble floors and air conditioning. Julie and I thought we were staying in a palace. light and love zach