(Untitled)

[sageofthpalouse]

Las Vegas. Wedding of Joyce’s nephew Ryan Owens and Mariia Moroz (Masha) at the Orthodox Church in America, on Annie Oakley Drive. All Ryan’s cousins aunts and uncles from both sides of his family were there - from Washington, California, Nevada, Colorado, Virginia, New York. Maybe 40 people, plus another 20 local friends. Masha is an immigrant

Comments

[carol_da_queen]

This is wonderful...I appreciate the glimpse of how it has changed a bit. Delving deep in memory I realized the church where the incense sent me sneezing and leaving was a Lebanese orthodox church. Maybe they are more censer happy....glad you could see and breathe and take it all in.
Love your description of the all American couple...hope it will be a wonderful life for them in Iowa and wherever else adventures take them.

[sageofthpalouse]

Incense-free -- not sure whether that was a relief or a disappointment. Big incense-bomb would have been exotic at least like back in the day at ol Yeru-shaliem. Best I can understand the Eastern Orthodox is kind of a confederation of heterodox groups ... Greek, Lebanese, Russian, Ethiopian? all with variations (like incense bombs yes/no, which day is Easter, gunfire out in the parking lot after church yes/no, etc). Would like to know more about this Orthodox branch "In America" ... have they modernized their formal practices? or do individuals have leeway to soften things a bit for mostly-guest occasions like this one?

[sageofthpalouse]

Incense -- cool stuff in small doses. Maybe it's like the number of chili peppers on the menu? True Lebanese is default 5 chilis, for the rest of us "hot" is one chili and "mild" is zero. Intriguing ancient stuff probably goes back to the neolithic age. Maybe for the Lebanese it is a quest or a pilgrimage: 1) saddle up camel, 2) trek across burning desert for weeks on end to Yemen, 2a) find Yemen, 3) haggle for frankincense in the souk, 4) load up camel, 5) trek across burning desert for weeks on end without getting lost, 6) battle bandits, 7) arrive home with two ounces of frankincense, 8) for maximum effect smoke it all at once on the proper occasion.