Yesterday at Iskcon temple I was fortunate enough to see an engagement in process! The man had gathered the woman's family and was going through a traditional Indian ritual of anointing the woman's father and giving the father gifts. The woman had henna on her hands and arms and wore a sari. In the pictures, the bride-to-be is in the hot pink sari. Later I learned that many teens and young adults don't typically date. Instead many times matches are arranged by parents when the son/daughter is ready to get married. Many times in the USA we believe arranged marriages mean that the couple has never met and are being forced to marry, but that is not the case. In India the couple has met and has to approve of the match. If either of the couple does not want to marry they have the option of denying the match. Also young adults may marry from a love match if they find someone they are interested in marrying. When I was asked by a student at KV Pushp Vihar if I was married, the question that followed was: "Was it a love match or an arranged match, ma'am?" This shows how both options are acceptable and norms in India. |
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHi! My name is Janna Nobleza and I'm a high school English teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. This blog records my TGC India preparation, journey, and reflections. Archives
August 2014
Categories
All
|