Bangladesh 2007

From start to finish...

Homeward Bound

We have had a thrilling adventure here in Bangladesh, but all good things must come to an end. Off to the airport! XXX

Meet Sulhana!

I wish you could meet her in person. She's just about the smartest and sweetest little girl you could ever imagine. Our "honorary" Bengali daughter!

CEO

Here's Sam, making things happen at bGlobal headquarters. www.bglobalsourcing.com

Decked Out for the Final Wedding Event

Christmas Eve in Dhaka

Celebrating a Christian holiday in a Muslim country with Bangladeshis and expats from across the world. Globalization at its finest.

Wedding Part Deux

From Wikipedia:
The actual wedding ceremony "Beeya" follows the Gaye Holud ceremonies. The wedding ceremony is arranged by the bride's family. On the day, the younger members of the bride's family barricade the entrance to the venue, and demands sort of admission charge from the groom in return for allowing him to enter. The bride and groom are seated separately, and a Kazi (authorized person by the govt. to perform the wedding), accompanied by the parents and a Wakil (witness) from each side formally asks the bride for her consent to the union, and then the groom for his.

The Groom, trying to break through the barricade of children. Jaf & Brothers

Lovely ladies

The whole family!

Oh, and I have to mention . . .as part of the celebration, the bride and groom are presented with an entire goat.
I asked if the goat was made out of chocolate. It's actually not, it's truly a goat. Ooops.

Back To School

Village Eats

Chez Jafar in the Village

This home belonged to Mark's late grandfather, and now is actually owned by Mark and his immediate family. Caretakers currently reside there, while the Jafars occupy their temporary residences in Pennsylvania and New York.

Village Livage

Here's a bunch of the family posing on a stone bench outside of Mark's house in the village. Mark's grandfather built this bench himself, and used to sit on it and hold court back in the day.

The Village

Early Christmas Eve morning, we set out on a bumpy two-hour journey to a village outside of Dhaka. Amazingly, the village has been inhabited by members of Mark's family for more than 150 years, and around 150 of his relatives spanning four or five generations currently reside there.

The village consists of a number of homes made of bamboo and tin, a small dirt courtyard, a primary and high school, fields of potatoes and mango trees, a pond and even a home and land that, believe it or not, is rightfully owned by the Jafars of Pennsylvania. The photos in this post and those that follow only scratch the surface of what a wonderful place this village is...

Hold Your Fire!

Holud (Turmeric Ceremony)

The Holud ceremony is a fun evening of tradition, dancing and eating. The groom's family go in procession to the bride's home. They carry with them the bride's wedding outfit, wedding decoration including turmeric paste and henna, sweetmeats and gifts. They also take a large fish cooked and decorated. The procession traditionally centers on the (younger) female relative and friends of bride, and they are traditionally all in matching clothes, mostly orange in colour.

The bride is seated on a dais, and the henna is used to decorate the bride's hands and feet with elaborate abstract designs. The turmeric paste is applied by the groom's and bride's friends to their bodies. The significance of the Turmeric is that it is an antiseptic, therefore cleansing the body before the actual marriage.

The sweets are then fed to the bride and groom by all involved, piece by piece. There is, of course, a feast for the guests. We ate amazing rice, lentils, vegetable curry, fried chicken and beef curry! With paratha. Yum.

Stay Tuned

For a full recap of Wedding Night #1 (the Holud and Turmeric Ceremony), coming at you tomorrow after a trip to the village where Jaf's father grew up. It's bedtime for now. XXX

Wedding Dress

Getting ready for the wedding and putting on sarees is a bit of a process. Let's just say it requires a team of professionals.

Unexpected Excursion

To a park, with thousands of people, lots of vendors selling exotic fruits and rice, all in pitch darkness. We made friends quickly, as usual...

Morning Walk

View of Sam & Heather's place from across the lake.

Receiving Sarees!

Rubaiyat's mother graciously gifted us with sarees to wear to one of the upcoming wedding celebrations. Rubaiyat is the groom and Mark's "cousin-brother".

Burriganga Bridge

Another stop on the tour today took us to the Burriganga Bridge which runs through the heart of Dhaka. Our presence there caused quite a stir...

Kids!

We're head over heels in love with all of these kids. They provide endless hours of amusement and joy.

Family Trip To The Park

Part of a tour today led us to a beautiful park where we enjoyed lovely views and mingling with locals.