Friday, November 15

Today the bells began at 4:41 a.m. We had a triple wedding to celebrate! First the church ceremony, then light refreshment of tea and breads. Since our outside kitchen is still in shambles, we didn’t bring cassava pudding as our contribution to the potluck feast. Instead, we made seven dozen banana muffins and brought them down right after church. It was a good choice and well received.

After the breakfast, we walked back to our house and found Ezekiel coming up the hill toward our house. He and Aaron visited on the veranda while the girls and I finished up morning chores. I gave them the day off from school, and they thoroughly enjoyed the chance to play with all of the older kids who were also enjoying a day with no school. The bell soon rang again to call everyone down to the feasting.

I made my way to Kiko’s large kitchen, which was the center of activity. Aaron laughed that every woman he knew would like a kitchen big enough to fit fifteen of your friends inside. They ladies parceled rice into leaves, and food began trickling in from the community's contributions. Rain was delaying the big feast, but Aaron sat underneath Kiko’s house and visited with Leonard. I got shooed out of the kitchen with the comment, “Go sit down or your legs will hurt!”

The rain finally stopped, and the feasting began. I helped my friends arrange the tables and the plates of food while Aaron waved the flies away. Our family was invited to join the other big men and women in the wedding tent. Aaron always has to sit with the big men, sometimes I can slide into the crowd and sit with the other mamas. Today, I deemed it best to stay with Aaron under the tent, but the girls chose to eat beside their friends. After the feasting, there was one last break, then a bell called us back down for the gift-giving and speeches.

Our family had already tucked our small gifts of soap, laundry detergent, noodles, and rice into a huge bowl designated for each couple. The aunties and cousin sisters danced and sang their way toward the couples as the bowls were brought under the tent and set before the newlyweds. Then the festivities concluded as we heard speeches from the chiefs of their clans. We when walked in the door, I looked at the clock and realized why I was so exhausted. We had been celebrating for almost twelve hours!