Hi,
On Saturday, we got the opportunity to attend a Nigerian wedding reception. It was of my husband’s colleague, Austin. Deciding what to wear was not an issue for me; my best salwar kameez was the only choice, since I do not own any formal western wear. I thought husband would wear a suit, but he opted for a kurta pajama instead. I was quite skeptical about it, but thought, okay let him stick out amongst all the suited booted men. JJ
But, we all stuck out, since we were the only non Nigerians in the gathering; everyone was staring at us. The cameraman and video man were repeatedly clicking/shooting us. (We didn’t get so much attention at our own wedding) Everyone around was wearing the Nigerian traditional dress. For men, this is the same as the Indian kurta pajama, except that both the upper and lower are of the same material. So husband dear, blended with them. For women, the blouse is at waist level; while, the skirt is a tight one (almost like wearing a blouse and a petticoat). Most of the women were wearing turbans. All the 3 clothing items were of the same material. (Think of the trouble we go through finding the matching blouse on the sari)
There was a MC for the event. His role was to introduce everyone, instruct them to dance, keep the mood enjoyable with his innuendos and time and again, thank the Lord. At the start of the ceremony, the MC called upon 6-7 important people, to the dais. First, was the most important person in the gathering, in terms of designation (and therefore money and power). This was the Chairman of some company (I couldn’t catch the name), most impressive looking. Next came the parents of the bride. Music played, her parents, alongwith other close relatives, sang and danced their way to the stage. The bride’s parents were wearing outfits, of the same material. All the girl’s side relatives were wearing the same outfit! One glance at them, and we could make out they were from the girl’s side. Can you imagine doing this in India? JJ
The boy’s side made their way to the dais similarly; with their relatives rallying around them. In the end, came the oldest man of the clan and his wife. Theirs was a more tame entry. Finally, the ‘newest couple’ (as the MC was announcing time and again) made their way to the stage. Their entourage consisted of the best man and bridesmaid, and many bridesmaids. Like India, the ‘newest couple’ sat on huge arm chairs, happily chatting with each other. (unlike Indian brides, who don’t raise their heads)
The MC then called upon the Chairman to say a few words. These basically consisted of advising Austin to take care of Dupe; advising Dupe to always respect Austin; advising both, not to run to their mothers, in case of arguments. He reminded me of our pundits, who give such gyaan (advice) when they are telling about the saat vachans (seven vows). At this point, food was served. There was no buffet system, the waiter brought plates of food to the tables. The head waitress sent us apples and then herself came to ask us if we would have vegetarian salad. I assume, Austin must have earlier instructed them to serve us vegetarian food. Very sweet of him I must say.
There was a lot of dancing that happened, Dupe danced with Austin’s brother. Then, Austin danced with his elder sister. Then the thing N was waiting for…..the cake cutting. The MC called upon the Chairman, Austin’s elder sister, marketing manager of Guinness and my husband (“Our Indian friend” he called him!!!) to gather around the cake and watch Austin and Dupe cut the cake. The MC screamed into the mike saying “Justice has been done, justice has been done!!!” (?????) Once the couple did the deed, the others were handed the mike one by one and asked to comment on the same!! Strange right? People commented saying it was done in perfect harmony, there was a lot of justice in the way it was cut etc etc etc…….
Dupe was made to give cake and wine to Austin and vice versa. Dupe bend while giving the cake to Austin. I don’t know why, maybe that is a way of showing respect. But, it was a cue for the MC to make a lot of sexual innuendos. I don’t know about her, but my Indian mentality was getting scandalized! We left shortly post this (no, not because we were outraged!!!!), N was getting cranky. The party continued till late evening.
It was a very nice experience; I could draw parallels to Indian weddings, though there were some stark contrasts too. In our weddings, the blood relatives get more importance, than the most influential person. And no one dares to wear the same outfit!! JJ
While going, many women called out to me “Oebo, Oebo, bye bye” (Oebo = white man). One thing about Nigerians, they will never make you feel like an outsider. God bless Austin and Dupe.
(I tried to click some snaps, but there were too many cameramen around)
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| The bride and groom |
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| The groom's side entourage |
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| The hall and the women in white are all from the girl's side |
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| The bridesmaids |
