This is a welcome garland that I received in South India and its heart-like shape is a perfect introduction to one of the most magical nights of my journey – February 14.  It began with an attendant who came to my villa to literally wrap me up in gold silk – in other words I was dressed in a sari.  It starts with 6-9 yards of  silk that is about 45-50 inches wide.

That is it- no buttons, no zippers, no ties no individual parts – just yards and yards of delicate material.  My only  activities in the dressing involved putting on a thin slip and a form fitting short blouse and of course my chandelier earrings.  I then attempted to stand very still while  the attendant slowly wound the silk around my body, carefully measuring and making pleats with her fingers  that would become the center of the “skirt” section which she then tucked into the top of my slip.  While there are various ways to wind a sari, I think this is the method my attendant used:

There were about 15 tiny safety pins used in strategic places to secure the sari – for example at the top of my shoulder where the tail of the sari fell, again in pleats over my back. I am still not sure how the whole thing just didn’t slide off.  It was beautiful and quite comfortable.  Though I usually don’t include personal photos, this has to be shown:

 

 

Now dressed to the hilt, I VERY carefully walked  to the outdoor area for our special Valentine’s Day dinner and performance.  I was honestly nervous that I would step on my sari’s hem and it would dissolve like a house of cards into a heap at my feet. Happily I made it to our dining area intact – and it was quite beautifully arranged – including martini glasses filled with candy hearts:

Excuse the squiggly writing, the menu was on parchment paper scrolled up at each place setting. As we sipped a cocktail or two or…. we were introduced to the actors that were to give a most spectacular performance.

To be continued…

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