Bollywood Engagement
Staleness Factor: 5/5
Some weekends back, Mel, my oldest friend from my Uni Perdana GPL (Goreng Pisang and Lekor) times got engaged to her boyfriend, BB. Was truly happy for her, because I had been through all the ups and downs with her. A veritable minefield of race (Mel's Indian, whereas BB's Punjabi), religion (Mel's Roman Catholic, while BB's a Sikh), in-laws and ex's. The happy occassion was very low-key with just BB's relatives, Mel's immediate family and a few select friends (score!). It was held at her new home in Kajang, so it was also kind of a house-warming too. Nobody knew how to get thee, so SK, my mum and I waited for her to guide us in. Due to unforeseen circumstances, she got delayed, so we killed time at the nearby Tesco. We were so over-dressed!
By the time we got there, we were already late. Most of the guests had arrived by the time we walked in with the ritual gifts (clothes, fruits, sweetcakes, a tray of chrysanthemum, rock sugar and a husked coconut dusted with cumin). I'm sure it was quite a sight for BB's relatives that Mel's entourage was half-Chinese. She looked resplendant in a beautiful red saree, accompanied by her parents and pregnant sister (she lost her blimp status the next day, giving birth to cute baby girl). SK drew stares too. Everyone else was in modest Punjabi suits, whereas she came in a short dress and started drinking beer on arrival. LOL.
At the start, things were quite awkward as there were many unfamiliar faces. However things got on track soon enough. An eye-opener for me, really. Never been to a Punjabi engagement ceremony before. Firstly, they seated Mel and BB on the couch. Then BB's mother put a scarf over her head. One by one, relatives came forward to give their blessings by circling dollar bills (I did that for her with my ang pau later in the night, :P) around their heads and feeding them with coconut candy. Rings were exchanged after a beautiful speech from Mel's dad. At the end, they cut a cake and fed each other, signalling the start of dinner.
After dinner, the guests started to leave. Towards the end of the night, we had our whisky cokes and camwhored a bit. Congratulations to Mel and BB again... Can't wait for the wedding.
Some weekends back, Mel, my oldest friend from my Uni Perdana GPL (Goreng Pisang and Lekor) times got engaged to her boyfriend, BB. Was truly happy for her, because I had been through all the ups and downs with her. A veritable minefield of race (Mel's Indian, whereas BB's Punjabi), religion (Mel's Roman Catholic, while BB's a Sikh), in-laws and ex's. The happy occassion was very low-key with just BB's relatives, Mel's immediate family and a few select friends (score!). It was held at her new home in Kajang, so it was also kind of a house-warming too. Nobody knew how to get thee, so SK, my mum and I waited for her to guide us in. Due to unforeseen circumstances, she got delayed, so we killed time at the nearby Tesco. We were so over-dressed!
By the time we got there, we were already late. Most of the guests had arrived by the time we walked in with the ritual gifts (clothes, fruits, sweetcakes, a tray of chrysanthemum, rock sugar and a husked coconut dusted with cumin). I'm sure it was quite a sight for BB's relatives that Mel's entourage was half-Chinese. She looked resplendant in a beautiful red saree, accompanied by her parents and pregnant sister (she lost her blimp status the next day, giving birth to cute baby girl). SK drew stares too. Everyone else was in modest Punjabi suits, whereas she came in a short dress and started drinking beer on arrival. LOL.
At the start, things were quite awkward as there were many unfamiliar faces. However things got on track soon enough. An eye-opener for me, really. Never been to a Punjabi engagement ceremony before. Firstly, they seated Mel and BB on the couch. Then BB's mother put a scarf over her head. One by one, relatives came forward to give their blessings by circling dollar bills (I did that for her with my ang pau later in the night, :P) around their heads and feeding them with coconut candy. Rings were exchanged after a beautiful speech from Mel's dad. At the end, they cut a cake and fed each other, signalling the start of dinner.
After dinner, the guests started to leave. Towards the end of the night, we had our whisky cokes and camwhored a bit. Congratulations to Mel and BB again... Can't wait for the wedding.
Comments
Good thing you blessed her with ang pow! ;)
btw, punjabi is also Indian ! ;-) LOL
I am an Indian and never been to a punjabi wedding or engagement ceremony. What a shame !
but... really pai sei... like tak hormat tu...wear so terdedah and everyone else like tertutup teruk. Bad DEAR for not informing me..:P