The Wedding

Saturday, February 8
Wedding Day


Well, we only need to describe this one day and you will all know and understand Africa!

First, we had an invitation that said 12:30. Father Barnabas, officiating the service, told us the service was at 12:30. We ordered a cab for 11:15. It was on time, we were on time. We got to mama Elitha's at 11:25. Dana went in to get them while John and I waited in the cab. Only Dana returned ~ mama was in the shower (bucket shower) Reh was ironing her clothes!! So we waited, and waited. Finally at 12:05 they sauntered out. The cab driver took off and said he knew where to go ~ but we had been to this church two days before so we thought he was going the wrong way. Thankfully he asked some locals ~ we turned around and found our way. We finally arrived at 12:37. We were embarrassed to walk into the church late ~ I mean everyone knew who WE were.
As we pulled up in the van (cab) dozens of children ran around us. We questioned whether they thought we were the bride and groom ~ nope ~ the white people had arrived!
The groom's brother motioned us into the church ~ we hurried along hoping they weren't holding things up for us. As we entered the church, we looked around ~ NO ONE was there! Just us and the choir. TIA! (This is Africa)
Mama Elitha said she had never been so early ~ we weren't early ~ we were seven minutes late!
Empty church ~ just us and the choir ~



Father Barnabus and some other priests were coming along so we went out to greet him and ask ~ what's up??





He said, TIA This is Africa! And there was another wedding where the priest couldn't make it so they were moving that wedding to this church too ~ there would be two brides. Things would start at 1:00. Ok we took our seats ~ we sat behind the choir because we wanted to watch ~ 1:00 came and went and we waited.

We saw Father's mother arrive so we went out to greet her.









FINALLY around 1:30 it looked like things might begin, however, we were still the only people in the church and then the choir even got up and left ~ the procession was about to begin. First the priests ~ there were several ~ that's Father B on the right ~



Then one bride and groom followed by their best man and maid of honor ~



then the second bride and groom followed by their witnesses ~ no smiling ~ this is a serious, solemn occasion. (Sorry this one is blurry but this is Sebastian and Elizabeth) ~



The first bride's color was orange ~



And the second red ~


which equals lots of orange and red shiny satin in the pews ~



The choir didn't disappoint. With tambourines, drums and lively voices they provided a rockin' environment accompanied by cheers, shouts and African chants.

The older people's choir ~



younger people's choir ~



The ceremony ~



The newly married couple ~



After the ceremony, the bride and groom were accompanied by a five piece band for a parade around the grounds ~







Each couple had their own band ~ battle of the bands outside ~





Falstini's aunt ~ his mother's sister ~


Watching the parade ~ mama Elitha, Reh, Dana, John ~





pictures ~



and then the band got in a truck while the bride and groom followed in a car to drive around the area.

While they were gone, one of the sister -in-laws ushered us to a classroom building (in the school next to the church) where we were handed a bowl of peanuts dished out of a large bucket. We wondered why were going there because we were told the reception was across the street ~ hakuna matata!
The room had about twenty people all sitting around on benches and chairs eating their peanuts without a word.

We had just gotten settled when Father Barnabas came looking for us. He said the other priest wanted to give us the blessing of the church ~ so much for the peanuts.
We thought we were going to the church but Father took us around, up the hill to something like a rectory ~ and handed us a Kilimanjaro. The other priest did come in to say hello ~ he is actually working in Ohio at the moment ~ small world.


The associate pastor ~

Msuni ~ continued

Thursday, February 6




After the coffee tour we headed to the homestead further up. There was thick vegetation, lots of crops and very few houses.
Father B has six brothers, seven boys altogether. The groom, Sebastian is the youngest brother and the one who runs the farm these days. He is the only one that lives there full time. Peter lives next door and is a teacher at the catholic school. By now it was time for lunch ~ 2:00 ~ and we were taken to the "guest house". Peter and Felix's wives had prepared a huge buffet of food and everyone helped themselves.

John, Father B, Sebastian ~



Sebastian, Cornelius, Felix ~



Dana and Felix's wife ~



The girls loved the iPad and were trying all the games ~
Felix's wife, Peter's wife, Dana



I felt honored when Father B let me wash the dishes ~ that's when you know they accept you as part of the family ~ I just had to promise not to tell his mother!



Next we got instruction in the process of "banana beer" production. We have been shown this beer before but this is the whole process ~ it's been going on for days in preparation for the wedding. There are three kinds of bananas grown in Tanzania, eating bananas, cooking bananas and beer bananas. We can't remember the whole process but the bananas are cooked until they turn red ~ then left to ferment ~ then just the right amount of water is added (from the hose ~ we are told this hose water is fresh from the mountain) . . .



Father B explained to get the best beer you really have to know how to do it and his second oldest brother, Cornelius is a master ~ thankfully tasting day won't be until tomorrow. These huge barrels will somehow be transported to the wedding.




After that it was time to visit with mom ~ she is 89 and when we arrived she was out in the corn field pulling weeds ~ this is her newer house ~ behind you can see her old house. In times past, the father had his own house and the mother had her own house. The old house will be torn down ~ some day.












Father B and his oldest brother, Joseph ~



In the newer house they had a "kitchen" included so mom wouldn't have to go outside to cook ~ the stove ~


Storage barrels in the kitchen for maze ~



Next Father B and Joseph took us on a walk through the farm. Their land goes right up to the border of the Kilimanjaro National Park.

Peter bought this additional plot of land to farm however the monkeys and the warthogs from the park eat everything so he has gone to planting pine trees to sell for the wood.


Tree line border of the national park ~



You can see Kili right in the V of the trees ~ it was really so close it looked like we could reach out and touch it but the clouds were coming in ~ there is alot more snow on the top of the mountain than when we arrived ~ the rain we've gotten the last couple nights was snow up the mountain ~





That water stream from the mountain ~



There's Kili again ~



The white eucalyptus tree ~ they said that was for us ~



An old house on the neighbors plot, over a hundred years old ~






Alfalfa that the cows love ~ this will be cut by hand and carried by hand to sell at the market ~ miles away ~



Felix's house on the family compound ~ he comes here on weekends. Each of the brothers were to have their own house on the compound but later ~ since no one actually wanted to live there anyway ~ they decided to build the guest house (where we had lunch) where several can stay when they visit.




Saying good night to mom ~ Sebastian's house on the right used to be the father's house. He will live there with is new bride.



It was getting dark ~ we had been gone for 10 hours ~ so we headed back to town. It was such a wonderful day and it was great to spend time with the family. We can see why getting away on the weekend would be ~ can't say relaxing because there is always work to be done on a farm ~ especially when everything is done by hand ~ but certainly refreshing and quiet.