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Aainaa - Reflections through Indian Weddings
Namaskar! Welcome to Aainaa – Reflections through Indian weddings,
Te Papa's latest community gallery exhibition, showcasing one of New Zealand's
communities.
Aainaa looks at some of the ways in which Indian immigrants to New
Zealand and their descendants identify themselves as Indian, and how they maintain
their diverse cultures here. The exhibition highlights the complexity and the
diversity of New Zealand’s Indian communities, and celebrates the major
contributions that Indian people make to New Zealand society.
India is the most densely populated country in the world, with a population
of over 1,000,000,000 (one thousand million) people. In addition, there are another
twenty million people of Indian origin living in places around the world, including
Britain, North America, West Indies, South-east Asia, Fiji, Africa, and New Zealand.
There are about 60,000 Indians in New Zealand.
Roughly one-third were born in India, one-third in New Zealand, and one-third
came here from Fiji. Others (less than 10 per cent) came from countries in East
Africa, as well as other countries around the world.
India has two official languages – English and Hindi – and hundreds
of regional languages and dialects. Religious and social customs can vary greatly
in India, because of regional differences. Major religions include Hinduism (about
80 per cent of the population), Islam (about 12 per cent), and Sikhism (about
2 per cent).
Whatever their particular beliefs, Indians generally have very strong religious
values, and many strictly observe religious customs and rituals.
Marriage assumes immense importance in Indian social and religious life. It
is widely regarded as one of the most important steps a person will take in their
life, and in an immigrant society it is a vital part of maintaining culture.
Indian society is based around the family, often an extended one, and marriage
involves more than just the union of two people. It joins together families and
communities. Because of the importance Indians give to marriage, weddings are
major religious and social events, often attracting thousands of guests.
Indian weddings are colourful and spectacular occasions, though ceremonies
vary according to religion. The Hindu wedding
ceremony is very elaborate, with a large number of prayers and rituals.
There are also many post-marriage and pre-marriage
rituals associated with Hindu weddings.
The Sikh wedding ceremony
is less elaborate than the Hindu ceremony. It is based around Sri Guru Granth
Sahib,
the Sikh holy book, and includes the four Lawan – four marriage hymns
that
are sung during the wedding ceremony.
The Muslim wedding ceremony
is the simplest of the three, and is accompanied by a festive walima ('bride feast')
afterwards.
As well as being vibrant and exciting events, Indian weddings also provide
a setting for colourful displays of wedding
costumes and wedding
jewellery. Indian bridal wear includes gorgeous saris,
the elegant lahanga, and the traditional salwar kameez.
Bridal wedding jewellery includes beautiful gold and silver ornaments and necklaces,
bangles, and garlands. Brides are also intricately decorated with
traditional body adornments
such as mehandi (henna).
Men’s wedding costumes
include princely turbans, smart 'Nehru'-style cufni suits, and swords.
While there are wide variations in Indian weddings because of significant regional
and religious differences, at the heart of all of them is a devout faith, and
recognition by all Indian communities of the importance of marriage.
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