Source: North Shore Magazine

http://www.northshoremag.com/cgi-bin/ns-article?articlewhat=articles/01-04-monsoon_wedding.dat

On January 1, 2004 North Shore Magazine published an article on traditional Indian wedding ceremonies: "Like the festivities depicted in last year's award-winning film Monsoon Wedding — which introduced Western audiences to a typical, upper-middle-class Hindu wedding ceremony — the entire affair is not just a union of two people but of two families and two ways of life, ancient and modern. Each point along the path holds unique religious symbolism that stretches back thousands of years." The article details the unique symbolism of the wedding ceremonies, events that can last anywhere from a weekend to an entire week.