印度兴起“婚礼旅游” 外国人花钱就能观礼

在印度，一场婚礼就能花掉几十年的积蓄，而且通常会持续好几天，可想而知有多复杂了。在过去，如果没有印度朋友，外国游客是很难看到盛大的婚礼场面的。如今，你只要花钱就可以在印度参加陌生人的婚礼，亲身体验原汁原味的印度民俗。

Weddings are generally considered personal events reserved for family and friends, but some couples in India are more than happy to have total strangers from all over the world attend their traditional weddings, for a fee.

婚礼通常被视为专属于家人朋友的私人活动，但印度一些新人却很愿意邀请世界各地的陌生人来参加他们的传统婚礼——当然是要收钱的。

Paying hundreds of dollars to attend the wedding of two total strangers in a foreign country may seem strange to some, but according to JoinMyWedding, a company specializing in wedding tourism, it’s “the ultimate cultural immersion” for tourists looking to experience as many elements of Indian culture in the shortest time possible.

在一些人看来，花几百美金去外国参加两个陌生人的婚礼可能很奇怪，但是一家专门从事婚礼旅游、名为“参加我的婚礼”的公司却表示，对于想在最短时间内体验最多印度文化元素的游客来说，这是“终极文化浸入式体验”。

Clients get to put on traditional Indian clothing, taste exotic food, witness and take part in beautiful wedding customs, and soak up the unique atmosphere. As for the couples getting married, they get to share the happiest day of their lives not just with family and friends, “but with the world” and make some extra money in the process.

客人们可以穿上传统印度服装，品尝充满异国风情的食物，亲眼目睹并参与到盛大婚礼的习俗中去，感受独特的婚礼气氛。对于举行婚礼的新人来说，他们不止能和家人朋友分享人生中最幸福的一天，还能和“全世界”一起分享，在此过程中还能赚点外快。

"If you think about it, there’s nothing more cultural than a wedding because you have every cultural element present: The local people, local food, customs, the outfit, the music, basically every cultural element is right there,” Orsi Parkanyi, the founder of JoinMyWedding, told CNBC.

“参加我的婚礼”公司的创始人奥尔西·帕卡尼告诉财经新闻台CNBC说：“你想想，没有什么比一场婚礼更能体现文化，婚礼包含了几乎所有的文化元素：本地人、本地食物、习俗、服装、音乐。”

"Experiencing all the cultural elements at once, meaningfully connecting with the locals in India, that’s a huge motivating factor for the travelers,” the Australian entrepreneur added. “It’s a safe experience. You attend an event with hundreds of people, you’re a distinguished guest, people look after you.”

这位澳大利亚企业家还说：“一下子体验所有的文化元素，还能和印度当地人建立有意义的联系，这对游客来说是一个巨大的激励因素。这种体验也很安全。你作为嘉宾参加数百人的盛会，人们还会照顾你。”

Tourists interested in attending a traditional Indian wedding through JMW have to pay a fee of $150 for one day’s attendance, or $250 for two days, which covers the entrance to the wedding plus food and drinks, as well as a dedicated person to welcome them and explain all the traditional customs. Transportation to the wedding, accommodation and traditional costume rentals are extra.

有意通过“参加我的婚礼”公司参加印度传统婚礼的游客购买“一日票”价格是150美元（1041元人民币），“两日票”是250美元。这些费用涵盖了婚礼的入场费、食物和饮料，以及一个负责解释所有传统习俗的迎宾人员的费用。到婚礼现场的交通、住宿和传统服装租赁费要另算。

While the idea of attending the wedding of strangers takes some getting used, wedding tourism in India is a growing business, and Parkanyi says that demand among tourists all over the world is high.

尽管有些人还不能接受参加陌生人的婚礼，不过，婚礼旅游在印度却是一项蓬勃发展的产业，帕卡尼说，世界各地游客对婚礼旅游的需求很旺。

"The first time that we got tourists to attend an Indian wedding was two years ago and since then we have helped scores of international travelers – around 100 at least – attend over 25 weddings in India,” she told India Times. “The demand is growing. There are hundreds of travelers who we know are keen to attend these weddings.”

她告诉《印度时报》说：“我们第一次让游客参加印度婚礼是在两年前，从那以后，我们已经帮助至少100名外国游客在印度参加了超过25场婚礼。需求量还在增长。据我们所知的，就有数百名游客很愿意参加印度婚礼。”

So far feedback from both tourists and Indian couples appears to be very positive:

迄今为止，来自游客和印度新人的反馈都很正面。

"The monetary contribution I made was the best and easiest way to thank the couple for their hospitality and this extraordinary experience,” one Hungarian tourist said.

一位匈牙利游客说：“金钱是对好客的新人为我们提供这种特别经历的最好也最容易的答谢方式。”

Couples, on the other hand, are excited to know people from other countries and the extra money doesn’t hurt either.

另一方面，印度新人也很高兴结识外国人，而且顺便赚点钱也没什么坏处。

Despite the increasing popularity of wedding tourism, entrepreneurs like Orsi Parkanyi are aware that such ticketed weddings are vulnerable to fraud, which is why companies facilitating these arrangements have a validation procedure for both couples and guests.

尽管婚礼旅游越来越受欢迎，奥尔西·帕卡尼等企业家也意识到，这种出售门票的婚礼很容易发生诈骗，这也是为什么安排婚礼旅游的公司对新人和宾客都有一套认证流程。

"Actually, we talk personally to each couple - sometimes for hours – and make sure our travelers’ need for safety is met. There is a detailed interaction through mails and social media so that everyone is convinced of genuineness,” the founder of JoinMyWedding said.

“参加我的婚礼”公司的创始人说：“事实上，我们会亲自和每对新人谈话——有时谈了好几个小时——确保满足游客的安全需要。各方还会通过邮件和社交媒体进行详细的交流，这样每个人都能确认其真实性。”

印度婚礼的门票到底值不值？看完印度的结婚习俗你就心中有数了。

婚礼服饰

虽然印度各地对婚礼服装样式和颜色各有不同要求，但是大多数时候新娘都是穿金边的红色和白色婚纱。因为白色象征纯洁，而红色象征生活富裕和人丁兴旺。新娘要佩带很多黄金首饰和珠宝等。新郎一般穿白色衣服，上衣是宽松的镶金边衬衣，下衣穿宽松的裤子或围裙式的布裙。在印度北方，新郎还要头戴精致的头巾和一串串的花朵，几乎把新郎的脸都遮住了，但是在印度南部，新郎头上则不佩戴任何装饰。新娘的脖子上挂着用玫瑰花和金盏草编成的大花环，一直垂到膝盖。

 婚礼当天

新郎家里要大宴宾客，时辰到了，新郎还要引领一批壮观的迎亲队和西式鼓号队吹吹打打到女方家里去接新娘子，一路上唱唱跳跳。当新郎和迎亲队到来以后，新郎要把朱砂涂在新娘的头发分缝处，那朱砂最好是水状的，让它流到额头上一些，这样子才可以使夫妻相爱到老。迎亲队伍回到新郎家后，此时祭师已把大米、树叶、燕麦、玫瑰花瓣等象征财富、健康、幸福、繁荣的各种祭品摆在祭坛上。

新郎新娘面朝东方站立，中间生着一堆火，视火为神，以火为证，完成结婚仪式。新人双方依祭师的指示向火中投掷拉瓦（炒熟的大米），祈求火神保佑对方，并望婚姻圆满。

另一种是新郎新娘绕火转圈的一种仪式，新郎新娘朝拜火神，祭师要新郎向新娘以梵文说道：我如拉玛神一样值得称颂，你如同梨俱吠陀一样值得赞扬，你犹如地球，我好似太阳。我俩欢欢喜喜地结婚，早生贵子，儿孙满堂，各个长大成龙成凤，我们自己也健康长寿。祭司对祭品和新人表示祝福，然后把他们的手握在一起，然后新郎新娘要围绕火堆走7步，被称为七步神。其后，新郎新娘向长辈行触脚礼，即跪在地上用前额去触长辈的脚，或用手先触长辈的脚再触自己的额头，同时接受长辈的祝福。

结婚典礼

整个婚礼一共包括三个部分：

第一个部分是洗脚（kanyadaan），新娘的父母用牛奶和清水为这对新人洗脚，祝福他们的新生活开始。

第二个部分是牵手（hastamelap），新娘的右手被放到新郎的右手中，新郎和新娘的肩头要缠绕24圈白布，象征他们的结合。

然后，在帐篷中央点燃一小堆火焰，新娘的兄弟或表兄、表弟带领新娘和新郎围绕火焰走数圈（至于具体走多少圈，不同地区有各自的规定）。另外，新娘和新郎的手中必须拿着大米、燕麦、树叶等，象征着财富、健康、繁荣和幸福。

最后，新郎的兄弟们向新人抛洒玫瑰花瓣以驱除邪恶。典礼仪式过后，新娘要喂新郎满满五口印度糖果吃，说明照顾丈夫和给全家做饭是她应尽的义务。然后新郎再同样喂新娘糖果，说明供养妻子和全家是丈夫的责任。双方的亲戚给新人额头点上红点，并向他们抛洒大米，祝愿他们能长久幸福地生活。