Unit 13 Denture za Arusi

The Swahili culture of weddings, as espoused by the speakers of the Islamic religion shows interesting variations. As shown in the video for this unit shows characteristics that distinguish one cultural setting from another. What is similar in all cultures is the emphasis of family and friends who have to be invited. There are many festivities some of which are gender specific and restrictive.

In the Islamic religion, there are important cultural aspects of weddings that are revered. Gender specific celebrations are evident. For example, men hold a gathering in the mosque where they share a meal with the groom. Specific cultural etiquettes such as the manner in which the men sit, wash hands before and after eating, and share the meal from a big tray. Sharing a meal is a sign of solidarity in the community, and in this case it is an indication of encouragement for the groom (video in lesson 1) and social support for his family.

As the video clips and the reading texts show, the wedding may be officiated at a mosque, church, the brides family home, or at a federal office by an authorized person, generally a high-ranking government official. The ceremony can also take place inside outside the house or building. Generally, the ceremony in a Muslim wedding, does not include the bride. She remains excluded in many of the functions, even the party at which she is congratulate and given wedding gifts.

In any wedding celebration, the bride is always the center of attention. Family, friends and invited guests focus their attention on the bride. They are usually curious about how well the bride looks, her wedding attire, makeup and the whole presentation. This is also true about many African cultures regardless of whether the wedding has traditional or non-traditional features.

The process of adorning the bride with henna is mostly in the culture of the Swahili speaking peoples (video in lesson 2). Usually the process is part of the celebrations and may take two or more days. A lot of the rituals (such as bathing and putting perfume on the bride) are private and not open to the public. However, hair dressing and body decorations with henna can be done in public and family and friends may be invited to watch and offer beauty and makeup suggestions. Members of the family partake of the ritual by applying henna decorations on different parts of their bodies too, in particular the arms, legs, feet, palms of the hands and feet. The designs on the bride and other members of the family may look identical and are generally a center of attraction at various wedding parties.

Depending on the culture, there may be multiple celebrations where attendance is restricted along gender lines. In Zanzibar (video in lesson 3), for example, women do not attend the men's party that, often times, take place in a mosque. Like wise, men do not attend the women's party unless they are in the dance group or are invited for special party services like keeping order and providing a secured environment for the party. This is also true of the people of mainland Tanzania. Women hold what is known as kitchen party, a time where women give the bride advice and shower her with gifts of items that are useful for kitchen use.

In the case of Zanzibar, the women's party is usually different from the men's party in that it is at the home of the bride's parents; it involves dance troops from both sides of the family, a variety of food dishes, and gifts for the bride. In addition, the bride does not appear in public at these celebrations; rather, she is represented by her patron who receives the gifts on her behalf. The bride's wedding party may last for several hours, most of which are spent in dancing, singing, gift giving and receiving, and finally sharing some of the snacks brought for the occasion. Unlike the men's party, a full meal is not shared by all the party attendees. The food brought by the family members of the groom is intended for the family of the bride only, not for friends and invited guests.

The party for the bride is only one of the various wedding celebration activities which may continue for several days. At the end of the celebrations (sometimes a week), the bride is escorted to her husbands home by members of her family and friends. Often, there is a lot of singing and dancing on the way to the groom's home.

Both the groom's party and the bride's party may take place at home or a rented reception hall, before or after the wedding ceremony. The setup as well as the order of related events depends on the desires of the two families.

There is also a tradition of bride presentation, a special ceremony where the bride is officially handed over to the family of the groom. This tradition is comparable to western tradition where the bride's father walks her down the isle to her future husband. In the Swahili culture the same ceremony takes place a few days before the church or court wedding (video in lesson 4). The ceremony is called 'bridal send-off party or 'bridal farewell party'. In the case of the tradition described here only uncles and aunts from both sides of the family are involved. Parents take a low profile during this time while other relatives assume most of the responsibilities in the preparation of the main activities associated with the wedding. On the groom's side a similar role is assumed by a paternal uncle or aunt. They come to the send-off party to receive the bride-to-be. They will also be the ones who will hand her over to the groom on the actual wedding ceremony in church or elsewhere.

Until recently, the groom did not attend the send-off party. This is a new development in the tradition. It is unclear what the new development means, but it seems that the two families participate fully in all of the celebrations. Consequently, the separate gatherings symbolize two wedding festivities, one at the bride's home and another at the groom's home. If the venues are separated by distance which requires much traveling, the send-off party allows the bride and groom to be with family and friends who would not be able to attend the wedding. At both parties, family and friends may give their gifts to the bride and groom.

The celebrations show a combination of long held traditions which have greatly been influenced by western values and traditions. The tradition of having a party whose purpose if to gather family and friends of family to bid the bride farewell can be found in any community in Africa. Traditionally, the party was attended by women only and lasted for at least a week. Friends of the bride came to her home, cooked, ate, sang and danced. Adults who could appear at the party included the bride's aunts and grandmothers. The adults took the responsibility of providing the bride-to-be with information that is considered crucial for her new life with her husband and members of his family. They also used this time to adorn the bride for the wedding day, prepare her wedding dress, jewelry, body decorations and make-up. This tradition was abolished when missionaries arrived to spread Christianity.

Presently, a farewell party lasts for a few hours and may cost a lot of money depending on the wealth of the family and the number and type of invited friends and guests. The party is a mixture of traditional customs, inter-ethnic customs, as well as western customs. This can be seen in issues of hospitality, interaction formalities, music, and form of dress, language use (ethnic, Swahili and English), types of food and drink, and the manner in which guests are served and entertained. How affluent a family influences the formality and extent of the festivities and westernization of the activities. Despite the fact that the family depicted on the video is very affluent, a lot of the traditional values seem to be kept. It appears that a fair balance is maintained between the various customs available to them. For example, there are representatives from the groom's family at the party. They are invited in order for them to assume the guardianship of the bride-to-be until the day of the wedding. They will present her to her in-laws who do not, as a rule, attend the send-off-party.

Although the bride's parents can come to the party, they play an insignificant role in the rituals of the 'giving the bride away.' Major roles are played by the bride's aunt (mother's sister) and uncle (father's brother). Another traditional feature is the party cake which is a whole roasted goat instead of a baked flour cake that comes from the western culture. Other adopted customs and traditions include songs, dances, drinks, food types, the idea of a cake, the idea of toasting the bride with Champagne and gift giving.

Because of the change in the traditions of this farewell party, the inclusion of non-family members, male and female makes it possible for the groom to show up too. He is allowed to sit with his bride, but most of the activities do not involve him except where both he and his future bride are asked to sit on stools to receive advice from an elder. The advice is on how to lead a successful married life. The groom is not allowed to share the farewell cake nor dance with the bride at her farewell party.

The cost of both the send-off party and the wedding is borne by the bride’s relatives and friends who contribute as much as they are able to. This means that preparations for the events take many months of fundraising. In many cases the bride and the groom will receive contributions from co-workers. To ensure this support and to foster this cooperation, some work places encourage their workers to contribute to a fund (generally know as mfuko wa dharura emergency fund) from which they can draw financial support whenever needed. This kind of cooperation among co-workers is also evident in other times of hardships like a death in one's family. This mirrors the cultural support and hospitality expected among the peoples of Africa.

The culture of celebrations has been enriched by the incorporation of other cultures from within and from without. The tradition of slaughtering an animal for a feast is one that is practiced by all ethnic groups. The selection of a goat has nothing to do with the wedding celebrations. It has becomes a convenient way of symbolizing that wide held tradition. It is also a cheap and easy way to get enough meat for a small group of people, since the price of a goat is much lower compared to that of a cow or a sheep. Rich families would, in this occasion, slaughter a cow for additional meat, especially if the guest list is high. The presentation of a whole roasted goat is only a mere gesture from the host, an invitation as well as an appreciation for the guests in attendance. This appreciation follows from the fact that an occasion such as this is very highly revered in the community. It is widely believed that there are three important days in one's life; the day an individual is born, the day they get married, and the day they die. In this respect, the extent to which the celebrations are carried out reflects the reverence accorded to the celebration of life.

The process of cutting the traditional cake follows from the western tradition, the source of the idea of a wedding cake. Interestingly, this tradition is now widely practiced by many affluent families and is occasionally extended to other celebrations like birthdays and other children's religious events (first holy communion or confirmation).

Other western traditions fully incorporated in many festivities like these, include extending well wishes to the bride-to be by offering a toast using wine or champagne. Another tradition is the western style dance, used as an opening dance by the couple, and a subsequent invitation to all guests to dance.

In these celebrations the mixing of cultures is apparent. The groom and his entourage are usually dressed in western attire. The whole idea of a flower girl and a ring boy is also foreign. The women, however, are dressed alike, wearing mostly traditional attires. Typically, women form either side of the family would dress alike for such an occasion and may choose to dress in western or traditional attire.

The church service as shown on the video clip (video in lesson 5) has many western characteristics except for the songs that are in Kiswahili. The bride and groom are dressed in western outfits and have a flower girl, ring-boy, bride's maids, best-man and matron-of-honor, all of whom are dressed in western wedding attire. Many of the family members and friends are also dressed in western dress except the women. Some have traditional outfits while others have a mixture of the two cultural attire.

There is also a mixture of local and western customs in the church service. These include the exchange of rings and the signing of the marriage certificate. What is different is that the signing of the certificate takes place in the church in front of everyone present. The procession in and out of church is also western based, but the ululation from relatives, and the throwing of rice instead of flowers to the couple, is proto-typical and relatively non-western. The wedding party (video in lesson 6), like the church service, shows a mixture of both traditional and international features. Two striking customs noticeable at the party include the western dance, the refreshments served, and the toasting of the bride and groom with champagne. The traditional features include dances, the wedding cake which is a roasted whole goat, and the local cuisine.