28/02/2013
On Tuesday evening I was taken to a
wedding by my host parents. The key piece of information they shared with me
was that it was an Ethiopian woman marrying a ‘ferenge’ man (who I think turned
out to be American of Chinese decent but I never got the chance to speak to
them).
The ceremony was in the evening at a
hotel function room, we arrived about 6:30 and it was gone 8:00 before anything
kicked off. We were treated to a few songs and some music from a male singer
and keyboard player. The colour theme was white and orange, there were archways
with fairy lights over the aisle and lots of ornate flower arrangements. At the
end of the aisle there was a raised stage, with two thrones and some other decorative
chairs, all adorned with satin covers and sashes. There was a camera crew who
had all area access, complete with a man that held a flood light attached to an
extension lead to make sure there was enough light for the video to look good. There
was a screen and projector to show the video live on the wall for the audience,
something that was use throughout the event.
The stage ready and waiting for the
happy couple.
Camera crew at work
Quite a lot seemed to happen outside
of the main room before we got a glimpse of the bride and groom. The mother of
the bride was dressed in traditional clothing, with her hair and making up looking
fabulous. Just outside the door they lit some flames which looked a bit like
giant incense sticks. An announcement was made and the crowd of 200+ all stood
up. Then the bride and groom came in followed by the wedding party, and their
parents who then all lined the sides of the aisle. The bride and groom then
took to singing and dancing up and down the aisle, whilst the crowd all clapped
and joined in whilst still standing. She was dressed in and Orange and golden
yellow dress, with her groom in a matching waistcoat. Her bridesmaids and the
men had white and orange outfits, and other family members in traditional clothing.
(for privacy I cannot post photos of them).
When this celebration came to an end,
the bride and groom, with their wedding party took their seats on the stage. A
gentleman, who I will assume was a pastor (it was a protestant wedding) then
gave a quick introduction in Amharic and English, then followed this with
various prayers in Amharic – the repeated used of ‘Egzebhair’ and chorus of ‘amen’ gave clue to this!
When this was finished, the mother of
the bride left the room, followed by the camera man and went to exhibit the
food which was waiting outside for the party. Then the bridal party went out
and chose their food from the buffet and returned to eat. This process was then
followed by the rest of the congregation. The buffet was certainly a feast,
there was no shortage of food of all varieties and there were even two whole
roast lambs being carved by the chefs.
Mary had a little lamb…
Whilst we ate there was some music
playing and some video footage of the newlyweds enjoying some video time at the
gardens in a local resort. We left shortly after – I am unsure if this was for
my benefit or because this signalled the end of the ceremony.
It was certainly different from any
other wedding I have been to, and such a nice cultural experience. Especially
because it was a union between a national and a foreigner, I’ve been told that
the groom has lived in Ethiopia for a good few years and now they are married
they are going to live in America for a few years, splitting their time between
each country – a true example of cultural exchange!
Kx
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