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. 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。 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 elements of Indian culture in the shortest time possible. 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”。 Clients get to put on traditional Indian clothing, taste exotic food, witness and take part in beautiful 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. 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。 "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. “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。” "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.” 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,人们还会照顾你。” Tourists interested in attending a traditional Indian wedding through JMW have to pay a fee of $150 for one day’s attendance, or $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. 有意通过“参加我的婚礼”公司参加印度传统婚礼的游客购买“一日票”价格是150美元(1041元人民币),“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,以及一个负责解释所有传统习俗的迎宾人员的费用。到婚礼现场的交通、住宿和传统服装租赁费要另算。 While the idea of attending the wedding of strangers takes some getting used, wedding tourism in India is a growing business, and Parkanyi says that demand among tourists all over the world is high. 尽管有些人还不能接受参加陌生人的婚礼,不过,婚礼旅游在印度却是一项蓬勃发展的产业,帕卡尼说,世界各地游客对婚礼旅游的需求很旺。 "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,” she told India Times. “The demand is growing. There are hundreds of travelers who we know are keen to attend these weddings.” 她告诉《印度时报》说:“我们第一次让游客参加印度婚礼是在两年前,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。需求量还在增长。据我们所知的,就有数百名游客很愿意参加印度婚礼。” So far feedback from both tourists and Indian couples appears to be very positive: 迄今为止,来自游客和印度新人的反馈都很正面。 "The monetary contribution I made was the best and easiest way to thank the couple for their hospitality and this extraordinary experience,” one Hungarian tourist said. 一位匈牙利游客说:“金钱是对好客的新人为我们提供这种特别经历的最好也最容易的答谢方式。” Couples, on the other hand, are excited to know people from other countries and the extra money doesn’t hurt either. 另一方面,印度新人也很高兴结识外国人,而且顺便赚点钱也没什么坏处。
Despite the increasing popularity of wedding tourism, entrepreneurs like Orsi Parkanyi are aware that such ticketed weddings are vulnerable to fraud, which is why companies facilitating these arrangements have a validation procedure for both couples and guests. 尽管婚礼旅游越来越受欢迎,奥尔西·帕卡尼等企业家也意识到,这种出售门票的婚礼很容易发生诈骗,这也是为什么安排婚礼旅游的公司对新人和宾客都有一套认证流程。 "Actually, we talk personally to each couple - sometimes for hours – and make sure our travelers’ need for safety is met. There is a detailed interaction through mails and social media so that everyone is convinced of genuineness,” the founder of JoinMyWedding said. “参加我的婚礼”公司的创始人说:“事实上,我们会亲自和每对新人谈话——有时谈了好几个小时——确保满足游客的安全需要。各方还会通过邮件和社交媒体进行详细的交流,这样每个人都能确认其真实性。”