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This exhibition explores French wedding traditions and their evolution
A show on the French wedding rituals and how they have evolved over the years, is going to be exhibited in Delhi.
Have you ever heard about newlyweds drinking from a chamber pot? Well, it’s one of the traditions associated with French weddings called Le Pot de chambre. This and many other traditions associated with French weddings and their evolution from the 16th century to the present day, will be showcased at the upcoming exhibition, Mariages À La Francaise — Shifts In A Cultural Grammar.
“When I started looking at Indian wedding invitations, it struck me that there’s a whole lot of production around weddings even in France. I, then started researching on the traditions that existed in 16th and 18th century royal weddings and how they have evolved over the years,” says Arundhati Virmani, curator of the show, who currently teaches at the School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, Marseille
She has handpicked the exhibits from people’s private collections and museums.
“There’s a wedding dress from 1950s, a chamber pot and plates used for wedding party, which will all be a part of the show,” she says. “There used to be glass domes to keep the crown of flowers that the French brides used to wear. Even the cake used to be a traditional 3-tier. But today, it has all become a modern fancy — with even the venue for weddings changing from churches to the town halls,” adds Virmani.
Besides wedding invites, the show will feature menus of the wedding feast. Also, antique porcelain set of wedding plates, which were produced in 1875. Two illustrated lectures on the public and private history of French weddings and the princely weddings at the French Court will also be part of the show.
