Accommodations in Kamloops

For accommodations in Kamloops for Friday August 31st, 2012, we have reserved a block of rooms at the Four Points by Sheraton for a special rate of $99. This rate will be available for our guests to book until July 31, 2012. Please reference Geoff and Reena when calling to book.

Four Points by Sheraton Kamloops
1175 Rogers Way
Kamloops, BC
250 - 374 - 4144
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1203
Distance to Gurdwara: 10.1 km, 17 - 20 mins

Gurdwara Address:
Sikh Cultural Society
700 Cambridge Crescent
Kamloops, BC

Please see some additional accommodations listed below as well as links for those not listed:

http://kamloops.travel.bc.ca/
http://kamloops.travel.bc.ca/accommodations/
http://www.expedia.ca/

Holiday Inn - North Shore
675 Tranquille Road
Kamloops, BC
250 - 376 - 8288
http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/kamloops/ykabc/hoteldetail
Distance to Gurdwara: 2 km, 6 mins

Howard Johnson 
530 Columbia Street
Kamloops, BC
1 - 800 - 533 - 9233
http://howardjohnsonkamloops.com/
Distance to Gurdwara: 6.6 km, 15 mins

Best Western
660 Columbia Street
Kamloops, BC
1 - 877 - 302 - 7878
http://bestwesternkamloops.ca/
Distance to Gurdwara: 6.7 km, 13 mins

Super 8
1521 Hugh Allan Drive
Kamloops, BC
250 - 374 - 8688
http://www.super8.com/hotels/british-columbia/kamloops/super-8-kamloops-bc/hotel-overview?reg=Local-_-all-_-S8-_-all&cid=IP_Local&wid=local
Distance to Gurdwara: 10. 9 km, 17 - 20 mins

After the Ceremony - Shagun, Langar, Doli

Shagun: A ritual that takes place at the end of the wedding ceremony, right before lunch. The newly wed couple remains seated while family and friends (who wish to), form a line behind the bride and groom to wish them well and offer a blessing in the form of money. A common amount to bless the couple with is $5.00 or $10.00 each and upon approaching them from behind, is placed in both the bride's lap and that of the groom's. This is also a great opportunity to pose for a picture!      
              

Langar: After you've done the shagun, it's time to head downstairs to the langar hall for langar - lunch, (and you can grab your shoes on the way)! Lunch is completely vegetarian as there is no meat or alcohol allowed in any religious space such as the Gurdwara. Once you enter the simple hall, you will see long rows of rectangular tables and benches. Seating is open (and co-ed), so once you get your food, feel free to find a seat anywhere. Lunch is served buffet style and will consist of roti, daals (lentils), sabjis (curried vegetables), yogurt, salad and other traditional Indian dishes. If you don't know what you're being served, just ask!

After lunch, the day is officially over for those who are not part of the bridal party or family! Time to rest up for tomorrow's reception!  

Doli: After the bride and groom have returned from having pictures taken, family members (and close friends) from both sides meet at the bride's home for this last, official ceremony, the Doli. The bride is back inside of her parents home and waits for the groom to "win" his way into the house to take his bride away. Surrounded by his groomsmen and family members, the front door of the house will be occupied by the bridesmaids who will give the groom and his boys a series of tasks or dares to complete in order for them to gain entry. This is a super fun (and loud) part of the Doli and no matter how hard the groom normally tries, ultimately, he will have to pay his way in! 

Once he has gained entry into the bride's family home, a series of small traditions will ensue and the couple will be ready to leave. This last part is very sad for the bride's family as it symbolizes her leaving them to join her husband.

The Wedding - Sequence of Events

Milni & Tea: The Milni is a ceremony that occurs outside of the temple, between the bride and groom’s families. Milni literally means “meeting” and the tradition started in India when all marriages were arranged. It was the first opportunity for all members of each family to meet each other. While this is not the case anymore, it is still a nice ceremony to greet the families.  As friends and family stand in a circle, there is a small prayer before the same family member from each family (ex. Brother, sister, mother etc.), meet in the middle and exchange a handshake, hug and neck garland.

Following the Milni, everyone proceeds inside to Langar Hall for tea, refreshments and Indian snacks and sweets. For this occasion, there will also be some non-Indian snacks and pastries.

Anand Karaj: Finally, it is time for the wedding ceremony to begin! After a quick tea and snacks, everyone proceeds upstairs to the main prayer hall (shoes off and heads covered), where kirtan (hymns) are being performed. Once you have walked down the aisle and made your offering, you are ready to take your seat on either the women or mens side. The groom and his groomsmen will also be seated on the mens side until right before the ceremony is about to begin at which point the priest will motion for the groom to move to the front of the Guru Granth Sahib. The bride will then enter the hall with her bridesmaids and family and the ceremony will begin.

The ceremony begins with Ardas, (prayer), during which the bride, groom and their parents stand to signify consent of the wedding. After Ardas, everyone is seated again and the officiate begins speaking about the significance of  marriage and the importance of the bride and groom's duties and obligations to each other as equal partners. The father of the bride then takes one end of a sash (palla) worn over the groom's shoulder and places it in his daughter's hand. This is similar to the father "giving away" his daughter in a western ceremony and symbolizes just that - the bride is now leaving her father's care to enter that of her new husband's.

The Lavan, (marital hymns) come next and are recited as the couple make four rounds around the Guru Granth Sahib. The Lavan are the most important and significant part of the Sikh wedding ceremony. While each verse is being recited, the bride walks behind the groom as they circle the Guru Granth Sahib four seperate times. The bride is guided by each of her brothers or males in her family that represent that relationship. Each revolution signifies a different spiritual element of marriage and the committment made by the couple with Guru as their witness.                                             

The very vague and most simplified meanings of the verses for each round are given below:

First Round: the Lord gives his instructions for married life and proclaims that the marriage ceremony has begun.                                                                            Second Round: the Lord leads you to meet the True Guru. He is the center of a marriage and such a marriage will always be filled with joy and love.               Third Round: the mind is filled with divine love.                                                      Fourth Round: the final stage of marriage and the fulfillment of the goal of life. The couple becomes one soul in two bodies.

Once the Lavan are complete, the couple is officially married! Rings are exchanged and there will be Ardas (prayer), where everyone stands and perhaps a speech or two to bless the newly wed couple.

Ardas

While everyone is seated, a Sikh from the Gurdwara will go around to each person of the congregation with Karah Prashad - food offering. Customarily, when the Sikh is nearby, we hold our hands together, palm side up and he will place the prashad in our cupped hands. PLEASE NOTE: prashad can be a little greasy and is an acquired taste for a lot of us. Do not feel pressured to eat it all! It is made from butter, wheat flour, and sugar and is made by the Sikhs at the Gurdwara. It is considered disrespectful declining the offering of prashad; however, if this does not apply to non-Sikhs, we will update this post. Again, if you can't finish it, wrap it up in your napkin and throw it away when you go back downstairs.

The Gurdwara (Temple)

Attire: This is a religious ceremony and you will be sitting on the floor for the duration of it so please dress accordingly. For women that are not wearing Indian outfits, please dress conservatively (no spaghetti straps or bare legs) and for men, no hats or shorts.  Before entering the main prayer hall inside the temple, everyone must take off their shoes and cover their heads.Men and Women have separate rooms in which to leave their shoes during the ceremony. They are located on either side of the Gurdwara’s foyer.

Ladies use the head scarf that comes with an Indian suit (or any other) to cover their heads as shown below. Men use a ramal (bandana) to cover your head and tie at the base of your head, also shown below. The families will be handing out ramals before the ceremony; however, if you do not get one, there are extras provided by the Gurdwara. Please make sure to return these before you leave.

Prayer Hall:  Below is a typical view of any Gurdwara’s main prayer hall and what you will see when you enter. The entire congregation sits on the floor facing the Guru Granth Sahib (holy book), men and women on seperate sides of the aisle.

At the end of the walkway is a grand structure that houses the Guru Granth Sahib. In front of the Guru Granth Sahib, there is a large donation box. It is customary to donate a small offering ($0.25 -$1.00) then kneel on the ground and touch your  forehead to the floor as a sign of respect (just follow the person in front of you). You are now ready to be seated!