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Preethi and Mani’s Janavasam and Nischyadhartam In Gaithersburg Maryland

Sunny Mathur — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:42:57 +0000

Day two of Preethi and Mani’s wedding festivities kicked off with their Janavasam celebration at the JSS Spiritual mission in Gaithersburg, Maryland. During the Janavasam celebration the immediate family on both sides gather for a puja and a formal welcoming. Preethi’s family and close relatives welcomed the groom’s family with garlands. The bride’s family also presented the groom with traditional Indian clothing and jewelry to wear during ceremonies the next day. After an intimate puja, Mani’s family assisted him on a tall beautifully decorated white horse and they made their way to the Nischyadhartam. The objective of this procession is to announce to the public that the groom is getting married and to seek their approval.

Mani was impeccably dressed traditionally in a red sherwani and saafa. The Nischyadhartam ceremony is similar to the engagement ceremony. Traditionally, the engagement occurs days before the wedding, Preethi and Mani kept with this tradition. Mani’s parade to this ceremony included a live dhol player, traditional South Indian songs and plenty of dancing and fan fair! Once the procession arrived at their destination, Mani and his family was greeted by the bride’s parents and members of her family in the milni ceremony. Preethi was beautifully dressed in an ornate sari. Delicate jasmine flowers elegantly adorned her braided hair as she looked fabulous!

Preethi and Mani’s mandap for the Nischyadhartam ceremony was beautifully decorated in colorful fabrics and sashes. After the formal puja on the mandap the guests danced around Mani and Preethi and then feasted on scrumptious food including fresh dosas! Everyone was excited for what the next day, Mani and Preethi’s wedding ceremony and reception would bring!

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Anjali’s Ladies Sangeet (Part III) | Rockville, MD

Sunny Mathur — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:54:46 +0000

As the wedding week approached, the anticipation from both families grew, day by day, hour by hour. The ladies Sangeet was no different as Anjali’s parents and families worked feverishly to create an unforgettable night for all their guests. From their elaborate arrangements and décor, Mendhi Artists, various rehearsed songs, choreographed dances, spectacular food and wonderful music. The glowing bride walk around with a large smile thanking all her guests, dancing the night away and being truly touched by the love and adoration in the room.

Traditionally the Ladies Sangeet is celebrated by the bride’s family by playing the dholki (drum) and singing traditional wedding songs. The theme of the Sangeet normally revolves around how the couple met and fell in love. Songs poking gentle fun at the in-laws and the soon to be groom and also life after marriage are sung much to the merriment of the guests. There are also dances that are performed by friends of the couple.

As the night concluded the Chura Ceremony took place which involves the bride’s maternal uncles putting the bridal bracelets on the soon to be married bride after dipping the bracelets in milk. It is often preceded by a short puja performed by the pandit that signifies the individual whose arms the churas were placed onto is ready to be a bride.

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Anjali’s Chunni and Mendhi (Part II) | Gathersburg, MD

Sunny Mathur — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:31:35 +0000

The next event in our lovely couple’s wedding festivities was Anjali’s Chunni Chadana! Traditionally during the occasion of Chunni Chadana, the grooms parents and close relatives visit the brides house. The groom’s family presents the soon to be bride with a red sari, as a token of acceptance into their family. The soon to be bride then changes into the red sari and continues on with the festivities. The main ritual of the ceremony occurs when the soon to be mother-in-law places a red chunni on the soon to be bride’s head and gives her traditional jewelry and feeds her sweets.

Davinder’s family stayed true to the traditional customs of the Chunni, bringing boxes of gifts, clothing and food. As Anjali came down to meet her guests, she was jokingly interrogated by Davinder’s Aunts as they fed her sweets and wished her a happy married life. The glow on Anjali’s face was intoxicating as everyone laughed, ate and spoke about the future. After the traditional Chunni ceremony came to an end and Anjali’s guests left, Anjali’s immediate family started the Mendhi festivities.

Mendhi is a ceremonial art form that originated in India and is typically applied to brides before their wedding date. Folklore states that the darker the color of the henna the deeper their bond. Anjali’s Mendhi was an intricate six hour process of applying Mendhi to her hands, arms and legs. The process took over six hours (we were only able to stay for the beginning)! More images of the completed Mendhi will be on the blog soon (and yes the color of her henna was DARK, these two are perfect for each other).

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Butlers Orchard Pumpkin Picking: Germantown, MD

Sunny Mathur — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:21:30 +0000

It was one of those mornings, overwhelmed with work, tasks mounting and commitments galore. A brisk dreary morning where all you want to do is grab the blanket, throw it over your head, forget your responsibilities and sleep for a few more hours. After all when you wake up; the work will still be there, the errands will still need to be run, and the commitments will still pile on, sleep was the answer. The only question was if I could afford it.

In a groggy state of mind we looked at each other, contemplated if the alarm ringing in our ears actually meant something significant and in a scant decision we decided to take the day off. Our moods lifted, the chores washed away until tomorrow, it was a day to relax, to enjoy life and to recharge our batteries.

After sleeping in for a bit, we decided to finally “seize the day (not my idea).” We ran some errands, watched a movie with a tub of buttered popcorn and a soda that required two hands to carry, grabbed a bite to eat from Hell Burger (amazing!) and began to start planning for the fall season.

After a relaxing morning of food, fun and frolicking we decided to make our annual trip to Butlers Orchard, located in Germantown, MD. Neeva loves pumpkins, if she was queen for a day she would require everyone in her queendome to have seven pumpkins on their front porch. There would be no purpose for the pumpkins, after all “they just look pretty and make me happy.” And no one would be allowed to eat the pumpkins; just look at them and smile. Seriously, I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

And with a twinkle in her eye, a day of freedom and my camera we decided to go pumpkin picking at Butlers Orchard. After making our way through hundreds of pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors, we were finally able to pick seven that we loved (yes, seven)!

Check out our pumpkins below and a few images of our day off at Butlers Orchard! Images of our carved pumpkins and Halloween festivities coming soon!
Happy pumpkin picking!

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