Wedding anniversary celebrations go back to Europe around the eighth century of the Holy Roman Empire, the largest territory of which was Germany. After twenty five years of being married to the same person, the husband crowned his wife with a silver wreath! For fifty years, it was a golden wreath that wives were crowned with. Later on in the twentieth century for commercial purposes named anniversaries were added like Tin for the tenth; Crystal for the fifteenth; China for the twentieth; Silver for the twenty fifth; Pearl for the thirtieth; Ruby for the fortieth; Gold for the fiftieth; Diamond for the sixtieth and Platinum for the seventieth.
This was my cousin Vimal's and Aruna's twenty fifth silver wedding anniversary and they had sent out invitations in July itself. It seemed just a few years ago when I travelled up from Hyderabad to Delhi in 1991 for their wedding. It was wonderful to meet up with several relatives who had not been able to come to Hyderabad for my daughter's wedding in June. Always great to meet cousins even if it was after twenty-thirty years with some of them and then the nieces and nephews and the grand nieces and grand nephews.
Delhi is a great place for food and Vimal knows all the best places for such occasions and we salivated and we hogged! The youngsters had done a Mehndi dance the evening before but we older ones just sat in a room and reminiscenced, telling the new sons-in-law of the legendary tales of Amal and Feroz! A great time was had by us.
The next day's event was at a function hall and all the cousins assembled with our families. Vimal and Aruna looked like twenty five years was nothing - still the same dashing couple. The reverend made them repeat the vows and we sang some lovely old hymns and after that Sahil and Rhea put up a song and dance skit of how their parents met and courted. It was such fun.
Family events are enjoyable when we meet up with our relatives and communities and share a common heritage and build on relationships with the new generations in the family.
This was my cousin Vimal's and Aruna's twenty fifth silver wedding anniversary and they had sent out invitations in July itself. It seemed just a few years ago when I travelled up from Hyderabad to Delhi in 1991 for their wedding. It was wonderful to meet up with several relatives who had not been able to come to Hyderabad for my daughter's wedding in June. Always great to meet cousins even if it was after twenty-thirty years with some of them and then the nieces and nephews and the grand nieces and grand nephews.
Delhi is a great place for food and Vimal knows all the best places for such occasions and we salivated and we hogged! The youngsters had done a Mehndi dance the evening before but we older ones just sat in a room and reminiscenced, telling the new sons-in-law of the legendary tales of Amal and Feroz! A great time was had by us.
The next day's event was at a function hall and all the cousins assembled with our families. Vimal and Aruna looked like twenty five years was nothing - still the same dashing couple. The reverend made them repeat the vows and we sang some lovely old hymns and after that Sahil and Rhea put up a song and dance skit of how their parents met and courted. It was such fun.
Family events are enjoyable when we meet up with our relatives and communities and share a common heritage and build on relationships with the new generations in the family.
