The Gift Giving to the Bride

November 2, 2001

It is a Bengali tradition that the groom's and bride's family exchange gifts. Since Rohini's family is Kashmiri, it was decided that the Kundus would give a few gifts to her and her parents. Some of the gifts are to be used in a prayer/ceremony where the married women in her family put the turmeric paste on her face and circle her a few times while blowing a conch shell (This was done to Arunav, too). We brought the left over turmeric paste from Arunav's ceremony for them to use on Rohini.

Leslie, Yan, and I went with Arunav's sister Smita and a few others to deliver the gifts and give instructions on how the turmeric prayer was to be done.

The gifts - they have been beautifully arrange and wrapped.

Rohini with the gifts

Rohini with the gifts. You can see that her hands have henna tattoos and her upper ear lobes are pierced.

Rohini, Yan, Leslie S., and Leslie L.