LT COL NOEL ELLIS 31/I/2025 ‘Garlanding’ is part of the culture of the Sun City. When a child is born, parents are garlanded. It’s a birthday, the birthday boy/girl is given one. Anniversaries are no different. People feel offended if you forget to come to their party without a garland. Retirement is another function where there are garlands galore. That person gets buried in garlands. Death is no different, garlands signify paying your last respects to the departed soul. On a brighter note, wedding ceremonies are a time to garland not only the groom, but also the parents, grandparents and everyone on stage. We in the Christian community here follow this ritual too. To be technically correct, so that no family member is left out, an extra garland is carried. Garlands are of various varieties. How it is ordered is by telling the florist, “Bhaari wali dena”, that is, give a heavier one. The flowers are bigger, better and fres...