The Wedding (2 of 2)

Day 2

Fortunately, I went home to bed around 12:30 am.  Despite this, the morning came too early.  Around 5:40 a.m., to be precise.  I woke up to sunlight blasting through my windows and my cell phone ringing much too cheerfully for the time of day.  After exchanging greetings, Bee half shouted to me that he was slaughtering cows and wanted me to come watch.  He was half shouting because the cows were apparently objecting to being slaughtered in the background.  He told me he’d pick me up in 30 minutes.  Remembering his interpretation of 30 minutes from the day before, I went back to bed.  Fortunately, I convinced myself to get up and get ready 15 minutes later, because at precisely 6:11 a.m. my phone rang again.  Andile, Bee’s brother in law, was outside the church center gates waiting for me.  I slammed down the last of my cup of coffee and headed off. 

Slaughtering a cow

By the time I arrived at the groom’s house, both cows were significantly closer to being edible than they were 45 minutes before.  Naturally, I was fascinated by the butchering process.  About 10 men were working on each cow; one on each side of the kraal.  First, the men pulled and cut the hide away from the carcass.  It would be used as a semi-clean staging point for many other cuts of meat that would be removed from the cow later.  Next to go were the hooves, genitals, and cuts of meat from the flanks.  When this meat had been removed, Bee used a hatchet to break/cut his way into the rib cage.  Once the slabs of ribs had been placed to the side, the internal organs were removed and set aside.  The heart was cut into small pieces, which were then grilled on a small fire near the entrance to the kraal.  The gallbladder was carefully located and removed so it wouldn’t burst and spoil the rest of the meat.  Major internal organs, like the liver and pancreas, were removed and skewered on the sharpened posts that made up the wall of the kraal.  Later, portions of these would also be cut up and grilled on the fire, along with the small bowel.  The stomachs, which were about the size of a small bean bag chair and still completely full of partially digested grass, were hauled off to the side.  Three or four men began to remove their contents while the rest worked to remove the muscular hind legs.  As each cut of meat was removed, it was placed on pieces of plywood or piles of freshly cut leafy branches.  After all the major cuts of meat had been removed, Bee went to work with the hatchet on the spinal column and neck.  When all was said and done, the only things left were the jawbones and horns.  

Cuts of beef being stored on the edge of the kraal

Needless to say, I was impressed.  By 9 am, I had tried fresh liver, pancreas, heart, and intestines for the first time.  Add in tongue and stomach, and I’d blown my previous beef eating experiences out of the water since arriving in South Africa. 

The butchering process finally finished around 9:30 am.  Everyone recuperated for a half hour or so, and then people began to disperse to clean up and change for the wedding.  The first service, the western wedding, took place at a primary school about a kilometer from the groom’s home.  Bee had some trouble arranging transport to go back to his house to change, so I eventually walked down to the school with a group of other people.  I arrived about 45 minutes late, and the wedding was already in full swing. The double sized classroom where the service was being held had been set up set up for both the reception and service.  The bride and groom sat in two chairs at the front of the room, while the pastor presided on a small platform in front of them.  The rest of the room was crammed with long tables and chairs.  People were everywhere; it was impossible to tell how the room was originally intended to be arranged.  About 60 people were waiting outside, some listening to the service through the windows, some desperately trying to stay out of the sun.  In some ways, those outside were the lucky ones; the temperature reached around 32 C by midday and it was at least 10 C hotter inside. 

The service and all the associated speeches lasted for about three and a half hours.  After the service, lunch was served.  I appreciated the fact that the “Refreshments” line in the program literally had three exclamation marks behind it.  The food was delicious—yellow rice, beef, chicken, beet salad, butternut squash, baked beans, and a green salad.  Plus a banana pudding dish for dessert.  I had given up my inside seat to Bee’s wife, so we got the news that food was being served a little late.  Nevertheless, Bee marched me up to the high table and introduced me to his sister and her husband as they finished eating.  He then insisted that we eat with them.  So, despite my inhibitions, we settled into the recently vacated chairs of a couple flower girls and ate directly across from the bride and groom.  I was happy to take pictures of the couple and siblings, but was still embarrassed by Bee’s generosity and my instant celebrity status.  What can I say?  Bee is nothing if not an incredibly charitable host.   

Left to right: Bee, the bride, and the groom after the western wedding

As the guests began to finish eating, most went on their way.  The number of people who had arrived during the service had grown exponentially; there were probably 350 people in and around the school by the time dinner was served.  I returned to the groom’s house for the second act of the celebration: the traditional Zulu wedding. 

I could spend pages describing the traditional wedding, and I don’t even fully understand many of the traditions I witnessed.  Everything began with the ceremonial entrance of the bride’s family into the groom’s home.  A group of male friends and relatives led the way with Zulu shields and sticks, which we waved and banged threateningly while walking into the kraal.  I say we because someone thrust a shield and stick in my hands and insisted I join the group.  Everyone loved watching the tall white guy attempt to act like a Zulu warrior.  Once in the kraal, we were greeted by the groom’s father and welcomed to his home.

Zulu warriors entering the kraal to begin the traditional wedding

After the welcome, the ceremony featured Zulu dancing in traditional dress.  A group of young girls went first, singing, dancing, and stomping their feet while hundreds of people watched.  They wore the traditional dress of Zulu virgin girls-izigege (short beaded skirts) and ubuhlalo (beaded necklaces, bracelets, and other jewelry).  The bride and her bridesmaids took the stage next, performing dances that were symbolic of the bride choosing her husband, leaving her family, and being welcomed by his.  The bride was resplendent in her traditional attire.  She wore a heavy isidwaba (leather skirt) around her waist, many pieces of ubuhlalo, and had several ivovo (cylindrical reed filters used to make Zulu beer) slung over her shoulders.  She also proudly wore an isicholo, a hat shaped like an upside-down cone that signified her marital status.  Finally, the groom, his brothers, and their friends took their turns.  They carried ihawu and ibhoko (Zulu shields and sticks), and were dressed proudly in their iqhele (fur headbands), ibheshu, and isinene (leather coverings worn around the waist for the posterior and anterior, respectively).   When the dancing was complete, the gifts for the bride and groom were brought out to the kraal.  In Zulu culture, a new bride and groom must start everything fresh—they cannot sleep on an old bed or mattress.  In addition to these gifts, the couple also received a wardrobe, mirror, and other pieces of furniture.  The bride’s family also brought gifts for all the relatives of the groom.  Each female relative received a blanket, reed mat, and pillow, while the male relatives received a pot for drinking sorghum beer and a grass basket.  These gifts literally filled up the kraal. 

Zulu girls in traditional dress

After the gift giving, the celebrations began in earnest.  Leftover food from the wedding earlier in the day was dished out, and everyone sat around the groom’s home for hours talking, eating, and drinking.  As Bee’s guest, I was an honorary Dladla for the day and was constantly being offered food and drinks.  It was a truly incredible experience.