SAJIN (the groom) and SUMAN (the bride), a TAMANG wedding party was set in SHYAULI BAZAAR, LAMJUNG. It started in the early afternoon till midnight.
After the early breakfast with the buffalo meat (cow is the holy animal in Nepal, not allowed to be eaten) and rice, SAJIN and SUMAN dressed with nice wedding suit and transitional GURUNG wedding grown, they showed up in front of the house. Guests visited and blessed them with gifts and rice. Cash notes dicareted on the groom's head, rice was placed on the wife's forehead.
The wedding banquet was held in the dry fields near the couple's house, guests dined on a long Nepalese carpet settled under the sun with the mountains LAMJUNG at the back. All the neighbours were welcome to enjoy the food there, although some of them did not know the groom and the bride. Dal bhat (दालभात) (Lentils and rice), vegetable curry, fresh carrots and buffalo meat (Villagers severed meat only in festival or special occasions.) were served all day, Roti (रोटी) and Chiya (चिया) (tea) were started to server in the evening.
Raksi (रक्सी) and Chhaang (or Chang, ཆང་, षांग, "Rice Beer") were served all day too, once you had the wine bucket in front of you, it would be refilled all the time.
Amadeo and me were invited, and we were the only foreign guests there. Amadeo had already been in SHYAULI BAZAAR for two weeks, some of the villagers were his good friends, he was so happy to be a helper in the wedding banquet. The villagers took me as the important guest too, they always wanted to offered me something to eat or drink. I loved Chiya very much, they served me more then ten bowls of sweet black tea in the evening, they (villagers and the tea) were so sweet. which kept me warm all night.
The village is amazing, I looked at the sunset and said "everything is here, houses, farm and animals. Some of my friend would like to be here as framers."
"It's seemed so romantic to say so, some of the villagers have extremely hard lives here that you cannot imagine, some of them tried hard to have a job in India just for a little bit of money." he emphasized.
Everyone were dancing and singing under the booth, which was lighted up by the petroleum generator, there is no electricity in SHYAULI BAZAAR, the electricity will be connected 6 months later.
The weather was cold after sunset, I stayed with the cooking fire with the villagers all the time. Little boys fell asleep on the chair and hay mattress. Thank you SAINA, BIRAJ, SANTOSH and NIRAJ stayed with me, who was depressed, speechless and only drew on that day.
Drawing become the best way of communication and the best way of escaping from communication in my travels. Observation sinks my mind into deeper thoughts (or blank). I do care more about the others by studying them on the paper. And I love to know more about the people I meet.
