A week ago I had the opportunity to be the videographer for a family wedding. I don’t do this often, actually only once before, for the same family two years ago. These weddings were different than a typical American wedding. The family comes from Bhutan, Hindu refugees resettled in Tucson, AZ. It was an honor to watch their ceremony unfold all day, and to watch the people present be able to freely exercise their religion.
As a person who is an Animist, I looked for similarities in the prayers and offerings of other faiths, even when I can not understand the language. Just a few similarities I noticed were: offerings to Ganesha (a very important deity in Elephant form), to the four directions, elaborate altars, ceremony outside, a fire in the center of the altar, singing prayers, chanting, call and response, using water to cleanse…many similarities!
Thanks and congratulations to Purna, the proud father of the bride, for asking me to do this ‘job’, because it gave me insight into something deep and meaningful. Congratulations to both families as well!
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