wedding

Today I went to an Ethiopian wedding of a woman at the office. There were between 300 and 400 people there easily, but I was told that was a small wedding for Ethiopia where the head count can go up to two or three thousand in the rural areas. The wedding was outdoors and the guests were seated under 6 massive tents spread out around the yard. Off to one side was a stage, ornately decorated in white. After waiting for over an hour, a white Cadillac limousine carrying the bride and groom pulled in amid much fanfare. There was a camera crew taking video and photos as they stepped out of the car and slowly walked up to the stage. The actual ceremony was subdued and intimate, the guests staying seated around the yard while the bridesmaids and groomsmen joined the couple on stage with an Orthodox Christian priest who prayed with them. Then they walked around the grounds once, stopping along the way to pose for some pictures. Later in the evening the live band started playing with a singer crooning in Amharic along with an alto saxophone. The newlyweds started dancing surrounded by their closest friends forming a circle around them. Slowly the rest of the guests came to surround the couple and everyone danced in a critical mass of guests, moving as one body almost and responding to the band which was playing traditional and beautiful Ethiopian tunes. At the end of the night the couple slowly moved to their limousine, the guests moving with them, still singing and calling out yo-le-le-le-le-le-le. It was truly an energizing and uplifting ceremony to experience and take part in.