A Tanzanian Wedding

    I got the amazing privilege to attend a Tanzanian wedding last weekend and I thought I would share my experience! It’s important to mention that this was a catholic wedding so much of the ceremony was determined by the church but there were still a lot of cultural elements! The Bride works at Rosemiriam Dagg (where I work) and the Groom is a cook at St. Justins (where Jaclyn [the other missioner in Musoma] works) so it was great to see all of our students and coworkers there! Another reason why is was such a unique experience was- both the bride and groom are deaf. A lot of the students both at St. Justins and at Rosemiriam Dagg are deaf so I’ve been working on my Tanzanian Sign Language a lot but this was a totally different experience!

What did they Wear?

The bridal party was made up of a combination of students and coworkers from St. Justin's. The girls wore matching dresses they had made with blue tops and a checkered blue and white skirt and sleeve detail. The boys wore white shirts, black pants, and blue bow ties! The style is never lacking in TZ! The groom wore a navy suit with a white shirt under and a black bow tie. 

The bride's dress was a classic A-line with a ruched waistline. There was also a very interesting piece that I have not seen before on dresses in the states- instead of adding temo sleeves or a shawl, she had a piece that went over her shoulders to look like the dress had an off-the-shoulder detailing. I didn’t notice this wasn’t part of the dress until the reception- where her dress was strapless! I thought this was a very cool and different way to have a covering piece for the church. She wore a full-length veil with lace edging. 

The couple who was assisting the bride and groom wore matching red outfits- the lady wore a dress made out of a red and tan Kitenge (traditional fabric- very common) and her husband wore a red button-down shirt with black pants. 

A Church Wedding <3

You Did it!

The mass started at 7am! (This was really an all-day affair!) The bride and groom processed in together while the choir was singing and ‘vigelegele’-ing (a specific way to make noise using the throat and tongue). Behind them in the procession was another married couple they are friends with- this couple is to be their guide in married life. They are someone the couple trusts and can go to with questions and for advice. The rest of the wedding party was already sitting behind the couple's front pew.

When they were pronounced a couple they hugged each other on both sides (left and right). Then there was what seemed to be a little vowel renewal for the assisting couple and they hugged on both sides as well. After that, there was a similar renewal type blessing for Stephano and his wife Stella. Stephano runs St. Justin's center and was also doing the sign language translation for the service. 

Stamp of Approval!

After that, it was time to sign the marriage certificate (which was also part of the ceremony) The bride, groom, priest, and the helping couple all signed it and the priest stamped it with an official seal! During the signing, the choir made a sort of conga line and danced and sang around the church! It was really cool! Then after everything was signed the couple went to the front of the church and held up the certificates. It reminded me of when someone graduates and holds up their diploma like ‘we did it!’ The choir and other guests surrounded them cheering and ‘vigelegele’ing! 

Tea Time

After the certificates were signed and cheered for it was time to make the grand exit out of the church! (It was about 10am at this point) This wasn’t made into as big of a deal as it is in the states- probably because all of the excitement happened with the marriage certificates. The couple came out of the church and greeted everyone that came. 

Grand Exit!

There was a tent and some chairs set up outside of the church and after a while of greeting it was time to make the way over there. So the bridal party lead in another conga line dance line with the newlyweds behind over to the head table. 

Everyone had tea and donuts. The tea here is very sweet and the donuts are savory- it is made to dip your donut in your tea. It's a bit backwards from the states but nevertheless you still get your sugar intake for sure! 

When people started finishing up their tea and donuts the kids from St. Justins started a dance. It was very neat and looked like they had rehearsed it a lot! It was also a line dance and eventually, the line migrated over to the bride and groom and all the kids had small gifts in their hands- a pack of salt, cooking oil, a bag of rice, etc. These gifts are to help them start their new life together. 

The Head Table

Party time!

In the afternoon it was time to party! The after-party was at Stephano’s house. We rode there with several of the sisters and when we pulled up I could already tell the music was super loud! The speakers were about 4 feet tall by themselves and looked like they were for a concert. The party was in-between the houses in Stephano’s compound- kind of like wide alleys. 

Bridal Party Dance!

When we first got there not much was going on- just dancing and people trying to talk over the music. Then, after a while, the bridal party started dancing into the party area and after them came the newlyweds! (It was at this point I realized her dress was strapless, it was very pretty). The tent where the head table was had a ribbon around it and when they danced up to it they got to cut the ribbon! (Like someone at a grand opening or after running a marathon)  I thought that was really cute! 

Then they took their seats and the bridal party showed them another dance. There was a lot that happened but I missed a lot of it because the music was making my head hurt pretty bad at this point- but I can tell you there was a lot of the DJ talking about things in the mic and the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom came up and gave them blessings. 

Dinner time

Then it was time to eat! The couple obviously went first, then the sisters, then Jaclyn and I went, then all the older kids. The younger kids got brought out a large plate of rice and veg to share! The food was served buffet-style. There were two types of rice- white rice and pilau rice. There were beef or fish options (the beef was kind of similar to if you ordered ‘burnt ends’ at a bbq place and the fish was fried whole fish- they looked a bit like blue gill). There was also coleslaw, french fries, and fried plantains. 

At the end of the buffet line, there was a few soda options- I got Orange. At the beginning of the line, there was a little hand wash station (these are very common here because people usually eat with their hands). I forgot to put a spoon in my purse this time so Jaclyn and I were about halfway through dinner when a sister brought us out a spoon each, which was super sweet! <3 

Presents!

After dinner, it was time for the couple to receive their gifts! This reminded me more of a bridal shower where everyone sees and watches you open the presents and everyone knows who it's from, I thought that was kind of cool. There were also a lot of group gifts for the big ticket items. For example, a lot of the mamas went together to buy a lot of little kitchen supplies (hot pots, spatulas, cups, etc.) and a table, and the med went together and bought a new mattress! There was also a lot of throwing shillings at the couple and the bride was holding a little basin (like for washing clothes) that people put money in. 

Cake…?

After presents, it was time for cake, but that is when Jaclyn and I decided it was time to go home, the music was still super loud and it was about 7:30 at this point and we are technically not supposed to be out after the sun goes down, just for basic safety reasons. So we did not experience the cake or the late hours partying but I think it was a pretty successful day!

The Invitation

If you would like to keep the newlyweds in your prayers as they adjust to this transition, the bride's name is Jackline and the groom's name is Robert.