Lewis, the groom’s journey

When: 12th August 1925

Lewis, my grandfather, is about to wed from Eldeniya, a village near Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. He struts in his coat and ties, his shirt as bright as the waistcoat. He forgoes his pants and wraps a tweed cloth around his waist, a nod to his father and kin who only know their native tongue, unlike him, who speaks with the English gentry. He wanders in his father’s vast garden, where his ancestors lived.

His home shines with new whitewash, a mark of happiness and wealth. The painters have nearly done the intricate panels under the roofs of the two houses, giving them a flair of beauty and charm. Lewis’s relatives, from both his father’s and mother’s clans, have arrived in their carts pulled by bulls with horns, bearing gifts and goodwill.

The house is festooned with yellow palm leaves, signifying luck and bounty. The elders chew on betel leaves, a stimulant and a custom. A cavalcade of carts gathers in front of the family home, eager to take the groom to his bride. Lewis kneels, respecting his parents on his knees, and hops into his cart, trimmed with merry ribbons. Carts driven by brown bulls, carrying some forty folks from the groom’s side, are now on their way to Mabima, a village some ten kilometres yonder.

Lewis has just turned thirty-five, which some think is old for marrying. But Lewis doesn’t mind his age much because he has big dreams for the future. He toiled hard to become a teacher and guided young teachers who admired him. He sued those who squatted on his family’s land unlawfully, winning them back for his dad and siblings. Lewis is at the top of his career and will soon be a principal. No one in his village can match his education or his English.

Lewis has seen his bride, Dona Euphracia, only once, and she is fourteen years younger than him at twenty-one. While Lewis was busy with his teaching duties, a marriage broker and a village go-between arranged a fitting match based on his father’s, Cornelis, and his mother’s, Christina’s, wishes. The chosen bride must come from a respectable Catholic family and be able to bear children who would inherit Lewis’s properties and get an education like his.

The marriage broker knows everything, the secrets and tales of the close-knit communities. He sorts through the gossip, facts, lies, and lineages to find the best match for his clients. He has a sharp eye and an intelligent mind and always succeeds in making a blissful pair. The bride-to-be must be a paragon of grace, faithfulness, and love, with a pretty face, a clean heart, and a reverence for God. She must also be fertile and fruitful to fill the family with many children. The groom-to-be must be a fine catch, clever, handsome, well-off, or at least have a promising future.

Lewis follows the traditional way of finding a wife but is a new, learned man. He has witnessed the world and its marvels in the lively city of Colombo, where he spent his years of study. He knows there is more to life than his village, where his family has dwelt for four generations. He dresses in fine clothes and glossy shoes and flaunts his gold watch on his chest. He has forsaken the days of the pigtail, unlike his father, who still keeps his.

Lewis and his family now traverse the rugged terrain atop their oxen-drawn carts en route to the hill’s apex, where the sacred union is to transpire.

At the hilltop church, his parents beam with pride, flanked by his siblings — two brothers and a sister standing in solidarity. The other sister, Anna, is a bridesmaid at the bride’s party. The memory of three lost siblings from childhood echoes Lewis’s thoughts.

Euphracia arrives, accompanied by her brother and mother, completing the ensemble of this matrimonial saga. Father Thomas, the Catholic priest with a grey beard, orchestrates the wedding mass. His readings from the Bible and fervent sermons reverberate through the air, harmonising with the congregation’s hymns. Lewis and Euphracia silently glance at each other during the mass.

Post-ceremony, the procession ascends to Euphracia’s hillside abode adjacent to the solitary main road. Martin, her brother and the family’s patriarch extends a warm welcome amid the festive cacophony of firecrackers and drums. With Euphracia’s father having passed away a few years prior, Caitian, now the family’s leader, assumes his role.

Amidst the bustling celebration, Lewis and Caitlin, the sole English speakers in the gathering, engage in conversation, their dialogue weaving through the cultural tapestry of this momentous occasion.