The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker

My sister had made an unexpected choice - and, in the process, proved our family could wrap its arms around more than I'd ever thought: Mexican-Mormon-Turkish-Muslim nieces and nephews, my dad's convulsive attempts at traditional Turkish dance, and any other kind of happiness life might send our way.Įlna Baker is the author of the memoir 'The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance.'

: 20 questions to ask before you get marriedĪs Mustafa's cousin, speaking Turkish, pinned several $100 bills to the groom's tuxedo, my relatives looked on, united in their confusion. They were engaged in five months (my sister's commitment to a genuine white wedding may have had something to do with the rush). Unemployed, Turkish, and Muslim, he wasn't exactly a Mormon parent's dream, but he made her happier than any guy from church ever had.Īt first she tried to convert him, then decided that as long as he supported her faith, she'd support his. That's why it was surprising when, at age 29, she fell in love with Mustafa after meeting him at a Greek restaurant in Boston. Instead, I moved to New York to pursue stand-up comedy, and had recently - with dread over what it would do to my parents - stopped attending church. On holidays we alternated listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and mariachi music, stories about Jesus visiting America and tales of my aunt Tafoya, who was once possessed.īut we'd always been expected to marry within our faith, and live according to its teachings. My siblings and I had nontraditional Mormon childhoods, raised in Spain and London around all kinds of people. : Ask Deepak: How to reconnect with your family We're an open-minded family, but we also saw 'Not Without My Daughter.' The night before, at a traditional henna ceremony, my mother and I had locked eyes as Tina's head and face were covered with a black and gold veil, her hands bound with cloth bags. Across the aisle sat Mustafa's Turkish family, the women in colorful headscarves. I stood nearby in a red bridesmaid's dress, looking out at my mother's pious Mormon relatives and my father's Mexican relations, among them two aunts who had smuggled in vodka in their water bottles.

'There is something divine about marriage,' he stumbled awkwardly. ( ) - Because my older sister Tina was marrying a Turkish Muslim instead of a fellow Mormon, the Mormon bishop at the microphone had been instructed not to use religious words in his sermon. The week will culminate with a Secret Supper in New York City, and Eatocracy invites you to participate online starting Monday July 11th at 6:30 p.m. This week, get to know more about your neighbors all across the country - how they live and love, what they believe in and how they came to call themselves Americans.

Editor's note: CNN's Defining America project is exploring the stories behind the numbers to show how places are changing.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker