February and March are wedding season in 
Rajasthan, possibly in all of India. Pushkar has become a place for destination weddings. The small charming town stretches along the banks of a very dirty Pushkar Lake. Entire havelis are rented out for several days as entire villages will make the trek (often by foot) to celebrate the event. And an event it is. Multi-tasking apparently is not only a trait of the West. The party goers come to bathe in the 
holy waters, visit the Brahma temple (there are only a few in the world) that sits slightly higher than the ghat of it's name. In the evening the streets become a thundersous series of processions. Bands are hired to play as loud as they can as they can while the groom's family and friends weave through the narrow streets with the groom and a young boy fully decorated in the saddle of an equally dressed horse. Peasants are hired to carry huge lamps strung together by electric wire, powered by an exhaust spewing rickshaw following at the tail.
Rajasthan, possibly in all of India. Pushkar has become a place for destination weddings. The small charming town stretches along the banks of a very dirty Pushkar Lake. Entire havelis are rented out for several days as entire villages will make the trek (often by foot) to celebrate the event. And an event it is. Multi-tasking apparently is not only a trait of the West. The party goers come to bathe in the 
holy waters, visit the Brahma temple (there are only a few in the world) that sits slightly higher than the ghat of it's name. In the evening the streets become a thundersous series of processions. Bands are hired to play as loud as they can as they can while the groom's family and friends weave through the narrow streets with the groom and a young boy fully decorated in the saddle of an equally dressed horse. Peasants are hired to carry huge lamps strung together by electric wire, powered by an exhaust spewing rickshaw following at the tail. The men, typically the young lads, dressed in western pants and button 
down shirts (you would never see an Indian man in a T-shirt), will stop the procession every few hundred meters to begin dancing in a circle, twirling money above each others head to bring on good luck. I suppose those with more money can afford to hire the band for longer periods of time, often until late in the night. This past Friday it also happened to be full moon. Dozens of weddings took 
place on this auspicious eve. I was invited to a wedding of 10,000, the mayors daughter. Rgerettfully I declined-to go with the fellows at the hotel (who invited me) could have been taken the wrong way and besides the only clothes I have are 2 salawar suits that I got at the 'second hand' vendor by the train station in Bikaner. Feigning exhaustion, I snuggled into the heavy camel hair blanket, 
welcome in the cool windowless chamber I had made home. Even if I had been sleepy, the firecrackers and bands celbrated until well past midnight.
down shirts (you would never see an Indian man in a T-shirt), will stop the procession every few hundred meters to begin dancing in a circle, twirling money above each others head to bring on good luck. I suppose those with more money can afford to hire the band for longer periods of time, often until late in the night. This past Friday it also happened to be full moon. Dozens of weddings took 
place on this auspicious eve. I was invited to a wedding of 10,000, the mayors daughter. Rgerettfully I declined-to go with the fellows at the hotel (who invited me) could have been taken the wrong way and besides the only clothes I have are 2 salawar suits that I got at the 'second hand' vendor by the train station in Bikaner. Feigning exhaustion, I snuggled into the heavy camel hair blanket, 
welcome in the cool windowless chamber I had made home. Even if I had been sleepy, the firecrackers and bands celbrated until well past midnight. (and it sounds like I missed a good party)
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