Saturday, August 14, 2004
A Malawian wedding
Today I went to a wedding!! Very different from any wedding I've been too before, I assure you. The Ekwendeni minister's wife's brother was getting married, so the whole community was invited. It was supposed to start at 10 this morning, but actually got underway around 11:10... apparently starting about an hour late is pretty good here! The ceremony was much like one that would happen in Canada, but there was more singing and dancing... the procession itself took forever as everyone danced up the aisle. People clapped and yelled as well during the procession, the vows and the rings... different, but kind of neat.
We had a bit of a break between the service and the reception, so we went and got some lunch (receptions don't include a big meal). The reception itself was a real adventure. It was held at Mzuzu University Hall. The room was set up with the bridal party sitting on a stage at the front, and then we were all in rows below. Once again, all of the important people danced up to the front as a procession, so that was fun. All of these ministers who I'd met before (who have always been so serious and formal) were dancing!! Crazy. There was a master of ceremonies, and basically she just called different groups of people up to the front to throw money at the bride and groom for the entire afternoon. So, she would call the family of the bride and groom, people from Ekwendeni, people wearing glasses... things like this. When called, those groups of people would dance up to the front (loud music was on all the time) and throw money into a big basin or onto a tray or just onto the floor! Very different from Canadian wedding receptions! It was pretty fun :). There was a little break for refreshments in the middle - everyone got a bottle of Coke/Fanta/Sobo, a piece of cake, a samosa and a little piece of chicken. The coolest part was the toast; everyone's bottles were raised in the air and the clinking noises were great. I have never heard so many people say, "Cheers!" all at one time.
Definitely a lot of new experiences for me today!
We had a bit of a break between the service and the reception, so we went and got some lunch (receptions don't include a big meal). The reception itself was a real adventure. It was held at Mzuzu University Hall. The room was set up with the bridal party sitting on a stage at the front, and then we were all in rows below. Once again, all of the important people danced up to the front as a procession, so that was fun. All of these ministers who I'd met before (who have always been so serious and formal) were dancing!! Crazy. There was a master of ceremonies, and basically she just called different groups of people up to the front to throw money at the bride and groom for the entire afternoon. So, she would call the family of the bride and groom, people from Ekwendeni, people wearing glasses... things like this. When called, those groups of people would dance up to the front (loud music was on all the time) and throw money into a big basin or onto a tray or just onto the floor! Very different from Canadian wedding receptions! It was pretty fun :). There was a little break for refreshments in the middle - everyone got a bottle of Coke/Fanta/Sobo, a piece of cake, a samosa and a little piece of chicken. The coolest part was the toast; everyone's bottles were raised in the air and the clinking noises were great. I have never heard so many people say, "Cheers!" all at one time.
Definitely a lot of new experiences for me today!
