Rwanda Wedding

It has been some time since I have posted, but I promised that I would add a post about the wonderful wedding that I was honored to have attended during my brief stay in Rwanda.

I served as an English/French Teacher at the Teacher Training College in Kabarore, Rwanda.  At one of the staff meetings, the Principal invited the entire staff to the wedding of his brother and although I was so very new there, I jumped at the opportunity to attend such a unique ceremony honoring the culture of Rwanda.  

One of the first things I needed to know was what to wear to a wedding since I really had not brought a fancy dress with me for my Peace Corps service.   Fortunately, I had a Rwandan friend in the States who indicated that it would be a wonderful experience for me if I wore the traditional Rwandan wedding dress: imishanana.  After checking out all of the little boutique shops in Kabarore, I found one which rents the dress, and I cannot tell you how much fun the two clerks had dressing me appropriately until I found the one I liked.  What do you think?

The first part of the wedding was a gathering of the wedding party and all family and invited guests at the venue.  There was little ceremony as we all gathered together; it was a time of greeting each other and reacquainting ourselves with our loved ones.  I was eager to observe so my Principal asked his aunt to accompany as she mingled with a group of "older" women.  I was honored to be by her side, but I could not resist taking pictures of the wedding party. 




From there, we moved inside the tent where the bride and groom were presented to the congregation.  Each family "offers" the marriage partner to the other family. One of the very special traditions in Rwandan culture is that the parents of the bride and groom are presented with a gift, in this case the Dad received a hat and the mother, a smaller item (I could not see what was given to her). 




 
 


There were many speeches and lots of clapping and I must admit, since I do not speak Kinyarwanda, I had a hard time paying attention.  I was, however, treated to these two little cuties who had as much of a struggle to be attentive as did I.  The little girl promenaded around the ceremony with my hat on.





Following this part of the ceremony, a beautiful meal was served, with all of the traditional Rwandan foods, including bananas (they aren't really bananas because they are served as a vegetable, and I cannot get enough of them), rice, salad, peanut sauce (it is pink, and DELICIOUS), cake and a number of other delicacies.



We then all departed the ceremony to head to the Church for the religious ceremony.  I was delighted that the two ministers alternated speaking/translating in Kinyarwanda as well as English.  There was a wonderful band with lots of expressive, joyful singing.  Notice that the bride and groom changed into what one might consider more bridal attire, and notice how beautiful they are.  The ceremony lasted about an hour and once again, we all gathered in the courtyard following the ceremony.  It was an opportunity for me to interact with the family and share some of the differences between American and Rwandan wedding culture.



Once again, we returned to the original location to follow up with even more traditions including presentation of the gifts to the bride and groom, the couple's toast, and lots of dancing.  I have to share that I was put on the spot a bit during the presentation of the gifts.  According to tradition, the wedding helpers approach the wedding couple with the gift while announcing the name of the person who gave the gift. That person then joins the couple, literally presents the gift to the couple while touching both the bride and groom, and then has a picture taken all together.  I, of course, had no idea what was happening and just barely heard my name called when it was time to present my gift.  Thank goodness, my Principal joined me and explained to me what I needed to do.


It was a remarkable day and I cannot express enough how grateful I was to have been invited to my first (and perhaps only) Rwandan wedding, and to share the joy with this wonderful family.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My House at TTC

Image
As promised, here is brief glimpse at my living conditions at the Teacher Training College in Kabarore, Rwanda. Please note that when the Peace Corps staff member dropped me off here, he “oo’d” and “ah’d” claiming that I had one of the nicest spaces of any Peace Corps Volunteer here in Rwanda. The dorm is new as of last year and I am the first to live in this space. Trust me, I am grateful. My apartment is situated at one end of a dormitory. There are two separate “apartments” on each end of the girls’ dormitory with a large room in between where the girls live. Surprisingly, I hear very little through the walls, but given the sports complex (basketball court, volleyball court, and soccer field) is right outside my front door and the girls shower, lavatory and washing area are right outside my back door, there is plenty of commotion when school is not in session and on weekends. I am grateful that I have a fan and earplugs to tune things out. The students here are very
Read more

Teacher Training College at TTC

Image
It has been exactly one week since I have been at my site in Kabarore, Rwanda.  It is in the Eastern part of the country near the Akagera National Park.  I am living on the campus of a high school boarding school which was not really what I had envisioned, but I am making the most of it.  The school has provided me with a very spacious house on campus and I spend most of my time in one little room in the middle.  There is a basketball court right outside my front door and much activity at the back of the house so I just stay in the middle. I have just finished my very first week teaching at the school.  It has been a bit confusing as the teachers expected me to "teach" and I had no idea of the curriculum nor the style of teaching.  They are so very kind and understanding that we have spent the week organizing the material so that we "co-teach" in an effective manner.  I am quite exhausted at the end of the day since the day begins at 7:20 AM and ends at 5:00 PM. 
Read more

Heroes Day

Image
Last Saturday, the nation of Rwanda celebrated Heroes Day.  If you read the history of the nation of Rwanda, you will note that there have been a number of strifes over the years.  Hence there are many heroes to be recognized.  This day commemorates the many Rwandans who have served others and most importantly have lost their lives for the sake of others. My Principal, Joseph, invited me to join the community and although I was not required to do so, I wanted to be a part of the festivities. Little did I know that the festivities included being awakened at 5:30 in the AM by the 400 students for "sports".  The basketball court is right outside my front door so there was no way that I could not hear them.  I decided to join in since I already had my yoga clothes on.  In fact, it was a series of stretches very similar to those which I practice every morning.  It was a great workout for me...and for them. At 10 AM, the community gathered for a celebration that la
Read more