印度兴起“婚礼旅游” 外国人花钱就能观礼

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.

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 Indian cultural elements in the shortest time possible.

Clients get to put on traditional Indian clothing, taste exotic food, witness and take part in 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.

“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.

“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.”

Tourists interested have to pay a fee of US$150 for one day’s attendance, or US$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.

“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,”Parkanyi told India Times. “The demand is growing.”

Words to Learn

相关词汇

【终极的】

zhōngjí de

ultimate utmost, extreme

【住宿】zhùsù

accommodation room and board, lodging

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。

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”。

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。

“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。”

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，人们会照顾你。”

游客购买“一日票”价格是150美元，“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，以及专人负责迎接并讲解传统习俗。到婚礼现场的交通、住宿和传统服装租赁费另算。

帕卡尼告诉《印度时报》说：“两年前我们第一次让游客参加印度婚礼，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。对这项服务的需求还在增长。”

(Chinadaily.com.cn)