A Wedding in Zanskar
Weddings are a huge reflection of the culture of Ladakh and Zanskar and are in a state of change like everything else here. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this marriage other than a constantly weeping bride, but what I got was an insight into the culture that I hadn’t known before. It was [...]
A Wedding in Zanskar — Scenes From the Road
I traveled with the groom’s side of the wedding party from Zangla to Shilla to bring the bride to the groom’s family home. Traditionally the groom stays in his village and waits for the bride to be brought to him, so neither the groom or bride was present for this part of the ceremony. The [...]
A Wedding in Zanskar — Arriving at the Bride’s Village
At Shilla all the villagers welcomed the groom’s party with food and chang and there was more music and dancing. The celebrations lasted all night as parties from the two families held a competition of songs and riddles, all part of the ritual. The dusk light was magical and I stayed until there wasn’t enough [...]
A Wedding in Zanskar — The Big Party
The next day the bride’s house filled with people. There was the main party room, a prayer room with about five monks doing a special wedding puja, a room that was taking stock of all the gifts, a busy kitchen, and a kind of den where the young guys started to party after sufficient chang [...]
A Wedding in Zanskar — The Dance Party
When the young guys in the den started dancing to the latest Ladakhi songs (played on every bus so I know them all by now) it felt like a window opened to the culture that I could relate to. I was so happy to see and feel this particular kind of freedom. I hadn’t seen [...]
