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November 1, 2011
Marigold Salesmen

Wednesday, October 26—The Day of Lord Luxeme—DIWALI!!!

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Today, we woke up to the news that we had a 3 and a half hour car ride from Agra to Jaipur. The promise after our ride was that we were to celebrate one of India’s most vibrant and festive holidays: Diwali, the Festival of Lights.  During our drive, we noticed that the women’s dress had changed.  The women on the sides of the road and whom we noticed as we drove through local villages, were more than colorful.  Streets were filled with last minute vendors selling orange marigold garlands, which signifies giving, hence the meaning of orange.  This holiday is a time to exchange gifts and worship the god of Luxeme, which is the god of wealth.  
Cheeky salesmen
Anyways, back to the outfits.   The ladies were no longer wearing sarees, yet they were draped in colorful fabrics of hot pink, bright orange, and deep reds called Ghagras.  Bangles galore flowed down their arms along with beautiful nose and ear piercing.  We would frequently see groups of women together; a fabulous riot of colors.  When we reached Jaipur, the best location for Diwali festivies, we stopped to have lunch at the gorgeous Oberoi Rajvillas Hotel.   Absolutely stunning and pristine.  The property even had tented suites, which was where a real Indian Maharaja would stay.  Lunch, eh, not so great—India really needs to get the recipe of Caesar salad down pat.  
We then arrived at our beautiful hotel, the Devi Ratn.  This property, which just opened in April, was breathtaking.  The extreme modernity and suave sexiness of this property screamed my name!  We were driven off by golf cart to our duplex suite.  The materials and colors used in our room were solid and expensive; the bathroom, which was the size of my Manhattan apartment, was made out of marble, including the close hanger rods!  

 In our bedroom, we noticed two wrapped gifts.  Diwali watos here!  We ripped open our gifts and found two complete Rajistani outfits for us to change in before we drove into town center for our Diwali celebration.  Our local India travel partners had organized this special treat for us!  We put on our outfits and jazzed them up with silk scarf turbans, which we purchased earlier on, and we rolled up our sleeves to match our style.  

 Our next stop was to visit a local Indian family.  They welcomed us into their home; mind you we were dressed up, with tea and diet coke.  They loved our get-ups.  The meeting was awkward, but a true experience.  They showed us around their home, which was Indian-ed out.  They had pictures of their families from generations, which was displayed an interesting upper class family tree.  By the end of the meeting, we found our similarities and departed with hugs and a small ”modern family” photograph.  

All of a sudden, it was dark.  Kids roamed the streets setting off firecrackers and fireworks.  One cracker would detonate 2 meters away from us, which startled us so much our turbans flew off.  As we arrived at the ceremony festival, we met up with another group of 20 women from Toronto.  They were dressed in Sarees as well.  The ceremony began with chanting to Lord Luxeme.  We each got our heads dotted, and flower petals to offer after the ceremony.  It was an awesome experience.   

  
Then, we lit our own fireworks and partied the night away complete with a sumptuous dinner, Indian folk dancers, and tons of surprises!