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by Nilma Dole
 It isn’t often that Sri Lankan youth living abroad try as much as
possible to stick to their traditions and rituals. When it comes to even
getting married to a foreigner, many opt to go for Western wedding
traditions than even think of preserving our cultural identity.
 Even though it might be more expensive, Sri Lankan weddings have been
celebrated for their unique marriage ceremonies with even foreigners and
tourists coming here to be married and have their honeymoon.
One young couple Chandika and Namita who are now domiciled in
Australia have not forgotten their roots by opting to marry in Asian
style.
Chandika is a Sri Lankan boy who has a career as a dentist while
Namita is an Indian girl and they both fell in love during their
university days in Sydney.
Chandika’s aunty Indu Hewapathirana, a bridal dresser and beautician
was proud of her son’s love of having a traditional Sinhalese wedding by
also coupling his wife’s tradition of an Indian styled wedding.
“What was important about this wedding was guests flew from Sri Lanka
and India to bless this couple on their marriage. Organising the
Sinhalese traditions, we had to ship everything from the poruwa, the
bridal sari, Kandyan jewellery to even ‘rasa kevili’ (sweet meat) and
drummers for the wedding,” said Indu.
The ceremony was held at the Miramare Gardens Reception Centre in
Sydney where the first day was marked with Hindi rituals with Namita
wearing a Gagra Choli. “The second day was with Sinhalese traditions
where the poruwa ceremony was held in the backdrop of a beautiful sunset
with traditional Sri Lankan dancers and drummers heralding the couple’s
bonding,” she said. The grand welcome for the couple was with fireworks,
lighting of the lamp and a harmonious reciting of ‘Jayamangala Gatha’.
Speaking about how the wedding was unique and uniting in every way,
Indu said that even though her nephew Chandika married an Indian, they
are well in touch with their roots.
“I have a firm belief in doing good for others especially when my
sister asked me to help out with her son’s wedding in Australia. Despite
the challenge, I overcame all obstacles including visa issues to be
there with Chandika on his special day”, she said. After all, Asians
marry once and it is a great tribute to our traditions and rituals that
are fostered by our younger generations who will make us proud of our
roots. |
