Cherry Blossom Candy Leaf

So, as usual, I tried to make it out to the beach as often as I could. Bula can be a real handful, so going during the week, rather than on a busy weekend, is my preference. Luckily for us, we were just about the only ones there...

... except for this guy.

He seemed really thin and had some small injuries, so I had Bula call the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary. A volunteer came out to look at him. They don't like to take animals from the wild unless it is their only option. He was hopeful that this sea lion, with a little rest and hopefully some wits to move away from the rocks and the rising tide, would survive. I kept my distance and didn't want to stress him out too much, but I couldn't help but snap a few photos. He was quite a poser!

We never saw him again, but we sure hope he made it.

When we got home, I forced Bula in the tub and although he hates it, he is so cute and helpless. He is my own little seal.

On July 9th, family and friends gathered to celebrate the two wedding ceremonies of Seema (a.k.a. Shonu) and Brian at the Castaway Restaurant in Burbank. Even though Ben got off work a little early to attend the Hindu ceremony, we couldn't make it in time for the Christian ceremony. Luckily, Babs and my mom went, so I got to hear about it from them and had a chance to see their photos before the next ceremony began.

After receiving a blessing, Brian was escorted by the bride's parents. They welcomed his family and lead him to the wedding canopy. The wedding ceremony begins with the worship of Shri Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles and provider of good luck. All traditional ceremonies begin with this.

While the groom is hidden behind a curtain, or antarpat, the bride is escorted to the wedding canopy by a maternal uncle. The curtain is later dropped and in most Hindu wedding ceremonies, this might be called "the big reveal" as it may be the first time the bride and groom will see each other.

Before the curtain is dropped. (I should have introduced myself to the guy on the left of the shot as he was the tallest person at the wedding, sat a few rows in front of me and was in every photo I took. Grrr.)
The priest recites mantras and invites deities to offer blessings. He'll then lower the curtain.

The bride and groom will exchange flower garlands that signify their acceptance of one another. The bride's parents place her hands into his and ask that he accepts their daughter with respect and as his equal partner throughout life. The groom accepts.

They eventually end up below the wedding canopy. Some of the events listed in the program happened in a slightly different order and I do not have pictures of everything.

The priest lights a sacred fire and the fire God, Agnideva, is evoked to witness the wedding. Throughout the ceremony, ghee or clarified butter is added to the fire. The groom places offerings of ghee into the fire asking for protection of his bride. As this was going on, Seema's parents as well as Brian's parents were within the wedding canopy. I think they were given something to eat and Seema and Brian had to kneel before them and touch their feet as a sign of respect. They also went to some of the elders that were observing the ceremony and bowed and touched their feet as well.

Back under the canopy, the bride places her right foot onto a stone which symbolizes the earth and offers puffed rice into the fire, asking for the groom's protection. By putting her foot onto the stone, Seema will become strong like the earth.

In what Hindus call the Kaan Pili (and one of my favorite parts of the ceremony) the bride's brother, or in this case, her cousin, comes forward to twist the groom's ear and warns him to be faithful to Seema and to take care of her with a promise that he'll be watching. He releases Brian's ear when he accepts the promise and gives him some money.

The bride and groom gaze up at the pole star, Dhruva, and meditate on the stability of their union. As stars rotate in the sky, Dhruva is always fixed. And in the same way, with life changing, their union will remain fixed.

One corner of the groom's shawls tied to the end of the bride's sari in the part of the ceremony called Granthi Bandhanam. This signifies their permanent emotional and intellectual union of their souls.

The groom leads the bride, they walk around the fire four times, one for each of life's great goals called prusharthas: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Dharma is the promise to perform their duties and fulfill their obligations to family, society and God. Artha is their promise to share prosperity with each other and obtain wealth with honesty. Kama is the promise to provide and share mutual fulfillment and pleasures in life. And Moksha is the promise to live beyond materialism and pursue endeavors that are uplifting to the soul.

1) We promise to be lifelong partners and hare responsibility of the home.

2) We promise to nurture and cherish each other through joy and sorrow with strength and courage.

3) We promise to always be truthful, loving and respectful to each other and share our worldly goods.

4) We promise to maintain moral character , happiness and physical and intellectual health in our life.

5) We promise to devote ourselves to raising strong, virtuous and healthy children.

6) We promise to work towards the prosperity of our family and share our worldly goods.

7) We promise to be best friends and eternal partners and embrace each others' families as our own.

They then return to their seats, but this time Seema is on the left side of Brian. This is a place of honor and as a married woman she is given this place.

The groom then places a necklace of gold and black beads, or mangalasutra, around the bride's neck and puts kumkum on her forehead (I think it's red powder). These are both symbols of his love and devotion and they identify Seema as a married woman. In Prasadam, they feed each other sweets (which were delicious, BTW. I'm still mad at Ben for only bringing one home that we had to share) representing their first meal together.

The priest offers his blessings to the newly married couple and declares them as husband and wife. The newly married couple then seeks the blessings of the priest, family and friends.

My doll had a place in the shade throughout the ceremony. It was so warm that day that he thought he was getting sun burnt after less than a minute. Poor white doll. Please note the sweet he has in his hand that we had to share.

Bella's pretty sari fabric and bangles.

Mom and Babs.

Us.

My sweet doll and me.

Our table.

A cheesy dish - so yummy! The food was awesome!

More sari fabrics - I'm sure all the women were wondering, "Who is the crazy white girl???"

Sitting together as we waited for the party to begin.

And I demanded to see her hands!

After changing their clothes, Seema and Brian were introduced and shared a dance.

The hot bride!

Peems and me.

Brian, Babs and my mom.

Happy Suhas!