Crashing Weddings in India
Sometimes in India, especially during the monsoons, you will find yourself unexpectedly crashing some lovely strangers' wedding. It is one of the simple joys of traveling during the wedding season here and, sometimes unfortunately, unavoidable. We almost missed our train out of Pushkar a couple years ago because a few coinciding weddings were blocking all the roads into and out of town. Indian weddings are also exceptionally loud and extend late into the night, causing some major sleep deprivation if your guest house sits next door to the festivities... But the unconstrained joy of these events is hard to resent!
Most weddings include a musical procession through town. In Pushkar they are led by uniformed brass bands, followed by everyone attending the wedding. This completely blocks the small dirt streets and forces everyone who approaches from behind to slow to the snails pace set by the jubilant musicians. Even the ubiquitous Indian cows lie down and wait for the party to pass.
It is another opportunity for stepping out of yourself as you are forced to slow down and accomplish nothing for a good long while. And this is part of the magic of traveling in India during the monsoons, something I suggest to everyone who craves an escape from their every day lives!
