A rose by any other name ...

I’ve just come back from a party given by our Sikh neighbours over the road, prior to their son’s wedding tomorrow. I was told that earlier today the groom had turmeric powder applied to his face and hands in the traditional haldi ceremony, and so I have chosen to photograph a yellow rose from our garden to represent the colour of the turmeric.

This evening we sat in an open-sided marquee in their back garden in glorious sunshine, surrounded by ladies wearing the most gorgeous saris, while being entertained with traditional Punjabi songs by two female musicians. One of the traditions we witnessed was the warna ceremony. As various couples were called forward to dance to the chanting, others would rotate currency notes in a clockwise motion over their heads as a blessing, with the money later being donated to charity.