On Thursday, April 14, senior Katie Gray and graduate student Marclo Kisula got married—sort of. The two celebrated a mock wedding that spanned cultural and religious traditions from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths.
The ceremony was hosted by the Office of Interfaith Community Engagement and co-sponsored by the International Student Society and the Co-Curricular Funding Board. It began with a henna ceremony, a Hindu and Muslim tradition in which the bride receives henna tattoos on her hands and feet. The groom then entered, riding a white horse as in Hindu tradition and followed by his groomsmen playing drums and tamborines, a Muslim ritual.
During the ceremony, Kisula and Gray stood under the traditional Jewish chuppah, or wedding canopy, and officiants read vows and passages from the sacred texts in each tradition. The ceremony also included an exchange of flower garlands, a Hindu tradition symbolizing acceptance, as well the Christian exchange of rings. It concluded with the Jewish breaking of the glass after which the audience yelled, “Mazel Tov”, a Hebrew expression of congratulations.
Approximately 200 people attended the ceremony and the reception that followed, which included traditional food and dancing from each religion.
“It really was a fantastic event,” Gray said. “My whole life I’ve never been to a wedding other than a Christian one. But the world’s not just Christian. We are going to be exposed to different faiths. We all put so much time and effort into it, and hope that other people see the value it has.”