Wedding Favors are a small way of thanking your guests for joining you on your wedding day and traditionally five little sugar almonds wrapped in a pretty organza bag would symbolise fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness.
As times change, couples are looking for inventive and alternative ways to thank their guests while also giving something back to society. The range of candle favors from Dalit Goods are a great example of how you can both treat your guests to a delightful wedding favor whilst at the same time giving a great deal back to a society in need of support.
For over 3000 years the Dalits – or Untouchables – have been positioned at the bottom of Indias' society and are subject to the most aggressive and dehumanising abuse. They are born into a culture that devalues them from birth with society considering them lower than animals. The term ‘Dalit’ literally translates to downtrodden or oppressed and there are 250 million Dalits who are exposed to this injustice.In 2010 Life Association launched the Dalit Goods brand to raise awareness of the Dalits' plight and also funds for the charity.
The idea for Dalit Goods came about as a result of a trip to India by Life Associations director Simon Hawthorne. Whilst there he began to notice a large number of smashed clay pots around the slum areas of Mumbai. These clay pots turned out to be drinking pots which for thousands of years the Dalit people have often been forced to drink from and then smash on the ground as a sign of their supposed untouchability. It is this powerful symbol of oppression that inspired Simon to launch our range of Dalit branded products.
The Dalit range of wedding favors hand crafted candle pots are made in Dharavi, Indias' largest slum and provides valuable work for the potters there. The idea of the Life Association Charity is that as much of the money raised from the sales of the favors goes to supporting the Dalit families and street children giving them an education and a future.
You can find the Dalit Wedding favors in the Guides for Brides VIP Goody Bags at our Autumn Wedding fairs.