I should be so lucky - the wedding

Its nearly
noon and I am eating cornflakes and mango which is my usual breakfast. I can hear the sound of the band dance troupe
they are very good the dance girls are all very pretty.

But it’s
hot out there.

The wedding
ceremony took for ever as the elder chanted and they tied us all together with
the white cord I call magic string.  I
had to hold my hands steepled in the wai position which meant that I had to
kneel on the hard tiled floor. If I sat
with my legs crooked on one side I my body and supported myself with one hand I
couldn’t do a wai. I could manage
without supporting myself for a short time but then it either became very
painful or I fell over sideways. So most
of the time I had to kneel and  it was
very uncomfortable. I tried to meditate
empty my mind and then focus on the pain until it goes away. This sort of worked.

My darling
Waree was beside me but they made her up so hard in a formal Thai style that I
didn’t think she looked like Waree. She
looked beautiful but artificial. You can
judge for yourself. Comments most welcome

After the
ceremony everybody tied magic string around my wrist or Waree together. I love this tradition it’s very beautiful. And they gave me money which I liked
too. When somebody is tying string you
hold one hand up in a sort of half wai and the other hand horizontal palm up so
that the wrist can be tied. The person
doing the tying gives a blessing (which of course I cannot understand) and then
rubs the knot in a circular movement as though they are welding it
together. Other people link to the
process by putting their hand palm up under the arm being tied in a supporting
position.

As she tied
the string Waree’ sister Jit was very generous giving us 1,000 baht which was
more than anybody else. She said and
gesticulated a blessing that we should not fight during our marriage and added
“give me the money back afterwards”.

Which I
thought was lovely sentiment and definitely sincere.

The band
and singers were very good and the dancing girls pretty I don’t know how they
can dance all day in the heat and humidity without any sign of sweat. I danced quite a bit but it was so hot and
humid that sweat was running me in great rivulets so I had to give up. Eventually the alcohol and the heat got the
better of me and I had a sleep in our air conditioned studio,

Later the
band packed up and left in a pickup converted for passengers (they would call a
jeepney in the Phillipines) leaving the
crew to dismantle the stage. All very
efficient. The ladies cleared up the
mess while all the men, like me having consumed some quantity of alcohol lay
around on the cool tiled floors sleeping it off.

Most of
this post will be wedding photos.

From left to right Nan, Huan, me and Au some of my best lady friends.  Au speaks some English so she advised me throught the earlier part of the wedding when I was not able to ask Waree to translate for me. 

You can see why I was happy to have Au as my guide and translator

Careful records are made of all who attend and how much they give

The procession from a neighbours house back to Waree's house with the groom and most importantly the money

Bang washing my feet before I am allowed to enter.  A task for which I have to pay her 100 baht (about $3)

Two ladies bar my entrance to the house so I have to pay them 100 baht each to let me in.  There seems to be a consistent theme to Thailand I am not sure what it is

Unexpectedly more ladies barred my entrance.  Waree had not supplied me with envelopes to pay them but fortunately I stuffed some notes in my pocket before I left so I was able to get into the house.

Waree looking beautiful before making her entrance

Counting the loot

Lighting candles

Lots of kneeling an waing

Everybody tied up

Hands supporting arms as magic strings are tied

Something old, something new, something borrowed but nothing blue that I can think of

Adam wasn't sure what to make of it all

The bride's mother has to supply new sheets for the bridal bed and these are they with the bride and groom sitting on top of them.

A handsome couple