Ugandan Wedding

The Ugandan wedding is one of a lifetime experiences……HOPEFULLY. Though a great experience to add to Sarah’s Life Bank, it is seven hours that I don’t know that I would necessarily choose to live again.

Nevertheless, it did give me a cause to put on a Busuti is the traditional Uganda wear for women; differentiated from other traditional wear of African countries, by the material that rises in a dagger-like form from the shoulders. Furthermore, before putting the garment on though, these woman wrap themselves in several layers of clothe in order to add bulk to their bodies. I had to remove some of the layers or I was sure to faint in the heat or fall over from the weight of it all! While I felt a little like a girl in a bad Halloween costume, I received very many impressive compliments, primarily “You look soooo smart!” (Uganda English for, “Girl, you sure look hot!”)

In the wedding everyone who brought a gift (or money) for the Bride and Groom, present it personally to them in a format similar to our US wedding custom to get in line to greet the new Husband and Wife. Another distinction is instead of just serving cake to each other, the Bride and Groom also present cake to their in-laws, as a sign of thanks for the time and care they invested into their new spouse. Also, worth mentioning is, it is still common practice in Uganda and most African countries to present a dowry to the Bride’s parents. Depending on the wealth of the gentleman, or the value placed on a daughter by her parents, the dowry could range from a Bible to several cows or goats!