MY FIRST: SWAHILI WEDDING

MO & the groomsmen

First and foremost congratulations are in order to the lovely couple Murida&Omar!!!!

I know by default everyone is looking forward to the wedding photos on this article but i'm more worried on how long this read is going to be, so I'll try and strike a balance.😋

This was the first time ever I get to attend a Swahili/Arabic/coastal wedding. I grew up believing that Christians are not allowed to attend Islamic events and vice versa. *feeling so fooled*. 

'its a wedding Lindy what could be so evil about attending a wedding....a wedding only screams love!'. 

So when i asked my best friend, she's Muslim too, like 5 years ago if i can attend one, her yes was so affirmed and i was glad for being wrong all my life. Forget about my misguided life back to the agenda!

So one day early June, i ask my mum for permission to leave town for the wedding, God knows how nervous i was to ask.😒 It took a serious dare for me to ask because i have old school awesome parents where you only get to sleep out of home if its a church event or a burial to a close someone....i love them, I am who i am now because of their principles and the virtues i was brought up in.

OK LINDY FOCUS!!!!😝

My best friend Tima invited Priscah(our other best-friend) and I to her cousins wedding - Murida. Hi Murida, was nice meeting you gal!

The anticipation i had, all i ever know is Swahilis can have marriage events and traditional ceremonies for the longest time possible. Rumor had it that the bride gets to stay indoors for 3 months in her mothers home without leaving completely,🤔 i still didn't confirm this notion. We were there for 5 days and everyday there was a serious ceremony. I mean serious things to do not like us making "dress shopping, cake tasting" an event😂. Let me break it down for you:

'Beggi'

So Prsicah, Barke my lovely classmate and i traveled on Thursday morning by the famous SGR - huh my goodness i'm yet to talk about this train business in Nairobi. For now let me just say, "God will punish you SGR people😭!". So in half a day we are in coast and up rushing to get to our friends home to clean up n get ready for the beggi event that was starting that Thursday afternoon.😫

In Swahili land beggi is an event where the groom and his family sends bags of.....hahahaha i think that's what i understood, bags of appreciation rather. 😅😅 Name it and i mean like real huge suitcases of things, just to shower the girl, her sisters and mother with appreciative gifts. I stand corrected for the meaning of beggi. 😆

I find it a lovely happy occasion because i mean me leaving my mothers home should be an appreciative thing for my future hubby right??!!, he needs to gladly say thank you to my sisters and mum for letting me leave to go companion his soul😋😚, and i'm not even talking about dowry yet!. 

Kwenye beggi kuna viuno my friend.😉 i thought i could whine mine but swahiliz are just above and beyond at shaking bum bums and not to deejay music.... I'm talking about dancing to horns being hit, african animal skinned drums and other tools around that could produce sound. They practically sing all through with interjection like 'oyeeeeeeee' and in between the songs are promises of a lovely home, blessings of a fruitful marriage, praises of the kind of man you have. 

The mood is beyond amazing, women from all ends are here to celebrate this amazing moment and this is where i realized weddings in coast are really thought through, its important to them and how it goes down is an expression of real support.

oh yeah if you dance well during beggi you get showered with Benjamins. not bad right?. selfless audiences.😎

'Nikka'

then comes Friday the Nikka evening ahahahaha do you see the part where you all say I Do, you may now eat kiss the bride🙈. That's Nikka OK minus the kissing part because you actually don't get to see what goes on behind the curtains. Its a sacred occasion like that. 

This was an invite only event and i understand how important this is to them, basically this is where the bride officially crosses over. There is feeding each other milkshake , 'kuekelewa mkono' all this are things you do as exchanging vows in lay mans language. 

The platform was beautifully decorated, the ladies turned up looking pretty and I mean look at this stage and that's just my view from behind the room.

oh! there was music and dancing and at this point we finally met the groom...

*did i have to say that of-cos she was exchanging vows with him.

What i mean is, from this occasion hence she is allowed to be seen with him in fact this is the night he gets to devour her roses. 🙊🙊🙊

For me this occasion was a little too tensed, i think because of the seriousness to it. This happens actually at the hall where prayers are held and the officiating process was very official for them.

to be continued.........

Happy LOVE life MO!