Yesterday I went to a large wedding. It was at the Anglican Cathedral in town. A very pretty stone church built in the 1880's.
The ceremony was the same in some ways and different in others. After the vows and several sermons or talks in Uganda, one by the bishop, the couple stood in front and everyone came up and congratulated them and put money in a basket. I don't know if that was for them but I think not, I think it was a church offering.
Then a bunch of people got up and followed the clergy and the couple through a door in the back and we all waited and talked and then they all came out and the couple displayed a marriage certificate and everyone clapped and yelled. We all left then. Here is Nalongo and Salongo and a friend leaving
and the reception was across town 3 hours later. My friend, Nalonga has a catering company on the side and was catering the reception for 700 people! Nalonga, like most middle class folks here works really hard to support her family. She has 2 bachelor degrees and 1 masters, counsels full time at TASO and does this side business which she says makes more money than her counseling job. Her husband also seems to be always working. They have 2 sets of twins so 4 boys , 2 who start university this fall, 1 in medicine and 1 in architecture. So back to the reception, lots of folks in fancy clothes. Here is one who was adorable!
The reception had some differences from wedding receptions I have been to in the states. The part I especially liked was when the bridal party got there (about 1 hour into the reception, they all came in kind of dancing to the music. A "runner carpet " made of papery plastic had been laid down and strewn with petals and the church choir stood along the edges singing and dancing.
The wedding party walked in in small groups moving to the music being played with everyone clapping in time and calling out and making cheering noises. It was fun.
They also had a professional singer to entertain and a couple of MCs who told jokes and entertained people. All in Luganda so I didn't get any of it. But others did, there was lots of laughter. I was there for 3 1/2 hours before I started to droop. Hard to sit and listen and not understand a thing. I either had to leave before dark or go home with Nalonga who, as the caterer,would be the last to leave so I bailed early. Before the cake and the dancing! I'm sure it went on for hours. Ugandans like long loud parties but I'm not always up for it. Another interesting thing was that the wedding food was exactly what many Ugandans eat twice a day, every day just a bit nicer. I've met few cultures which eat so much of the same thing every meal. They call it their staples and they really are. Not like in the US, we say wheat is our staple but we don't have it in exactly the same form 2 or 3 times a day. We have tremendous variety in our diet, even Americans like my parents who essentially had "meat and potatoes" every dinner. The type of meat and potato at least changed. Not here! Below is a picture of my plate. What you see starting at 10 o'clock and going clockwise is squash, rice, fried potatoes, more rice, matoca which is mashed green (unsweet) banana with a groundnut sauce, green beans and carrots, and chapati and a dab of greens. The 2 rices and 2 veges made it special. Everything else is served every day, 2 meals a day.
So the last picture of the day, I'm heading home and Nalongo is heading back to supervise.
The ceremony was the same in some ways and different in others. After the vows and several sermons or talks in Uganda, one by the bishop, the couple stood in front and everyone came up and congratulated them and put money in a basket. I don't know if that was for them but I think not, I think it was a church offering.
Then a bunch of people got up and followed the clergy and the couple through a door in the back and we all waited and talked and then they all came out and the couple displayed a marriage certificate and everyone clapped and yelled. We all left then. Here is Nalongo and Salongo and a friend leaving
and the reception was across town 3 hours later. My friend, Nalonga has a catering company on the side and was catering the reception for 700 people! Nalonga, like most middle class folks here works really hard to support her family. She has 2 bachelor degrees and 1 masters, counsels full time at TASO and does this side business which she says makes more money than her counseling job. Her husband also seems to be always working. They have 2 sets of twins so 4 boys , 2 who start university this fall, 1 in medicine and 1 in architecture. So back to the reception, lots of folks in fancy clothes. Here is one who was adorable!
The reception had some differences from wedding receptions I have been to in the states. The part I especially liked was when the bridal party got there (about 1 hour into the reception, they all came in kind of dancing to the music. A "runner carpet " made of papery plastic had been laid down and strewn with petals and the church choir stood along the edges singing and dancing.
The wedding party walked in in small groups moving to the music being played with everyone clapping in time and calling out and making cheering noises. It was fun.
They also had a professional singer to entertain and a couple of MCs who told jokes and entertained people. All in Luganda so I didn't get any of it. But others did, there was lots of laughter. I was there for 3 1/2 hours before I started to droop. Hard to sit and listen and not understand a thing. I either had to leave before dark or go home with Nalonga who, as the caterer,would be the last to leave so I bailed early. Before the cake and the dancing! I'm sure it went on for hours. Ugandans like long loud parties but I'm not always up for it. Another interesting thing was that the wedding food was exactly what many Ugandans eat twice a day, every day just a bit nicer. I've met few cultures which eat so much of the same thing every meal. They call it their staples and they really are. Not like in the US, we say wheat is our staple but we don't have it in exactly the same form 2 or 3 times a day. We have tremendous variety in our diet, even Americans like my parents who essentially had "meat and potatoes" every dinner. The type of meat and potato at least changed. Not here! Below is a picture of my plate. What you see starting at 10 o'clock and going clockwise is squash, rice, fried potatoes, more rice, matoca which is mashed green (unsweet) banana with a groundnut sauce, green beans and carrots, and chapati and a dab of greens. The 2 rices and 2 veges made it special. Everything else is served every day, 2 meals a day.
One last note and this one sad. For you who don't know, Dee Bean, Steve's step Mom died on Friday. She was a courageous lady who lived the last years of her life with amazing strength and an incredibly positive attitude in a tough situation as she had muscular dystrophy. Here is a picture I took of her that she especially liked now several and maybe more) years ago. I will miss her. Love to all Anita
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