Malawian Wedding

This weekend I was invited to the wedding of my coworker, Grey.  I was surprised to be invited, but on Thursday I received the invitation, and I was so excited to have the opportunity to see a Malawian wedding!  Grey and his now-wife, Doris, were part of a group wedding at their church early in the day.  I think there were 13 other couples getting married that day.  I did not attend the church part of the wedding because it started at 7:30 am.   I did go over to Doris's brother's house for the reception and the post-church entertainment.

When we arrived, we were directed to sit under a giant tent that was erected in the yard.  The DJs were hanging around, and the "brai" was set up for grilling.  Once we all ate a fairly traditional meal of nsima, relish, and chicken and the power came back on, we were ready for the real party.  First, the bride and the groom came dancing out of the house with their friends and family.  Once they arrived at the tent, the MC introduced them and their families.  Then the money "splashing" began.  When you go to a Malawian wedding, you have to bring lots of small bills to toss at the bride and groom at various points.  So we made a carpet of splashed 20s for the bride and groom to process on as they made their way to the couch under the tent.  The rest of the party consisted of the MC tempting various people to "splash" money on the bride or groom.  He would say something like, "Who wants a bite of this wedding cake? Only 200 kwatch, 200 kwatch, just 200 for a (miniscule) bite of cake!"  

Usually one person is holding a basket as people toss the money.  Music is played, and it is important that the individual giving the money dances as they toss.  For a few talented individuals, the dances were very elaborate and involved a pronounced splash of money.  It was quite a sight, but very fun.  In between the money tossing there was more food.  I was disappointed to not have an opportunity to eat some wedding cake (because we all know how much I love cake) but I did get to eat some Malawian donuts.

I have posted some pictures above.  You can see that the bride and groom wore western-style wedding outfits.  They also looked rather nervous the whole time.  I think it was a lot of excitement for them.  

Apparently the tossing of the money is not a Malawian tradition.  It has only come into fashion at weddings in the past couple of years.  It makes sense, though, because the money that is raised can serve as a nest egg for the couple.  Perhaps this is a better idea than giving a ton of expensive gifts, as we do in the United States.  In the end Grey and Doris went home with nearly 40,000 kwacha (about $300) which is a lot of money in Malawi.  

Tomorrow begins my last two weeks in Malawi.  I can't believe how quickly it has gone by. Lindsay and I are solidifying our plans for the trip to South Africa.  First on our list is go to the movies and go to the mall, which is funny considering how infrequently I do either of those things in the United States.  But when you have zero opportunity to shop or see a movie on the big screen for four months, you really start to think about how much you miss it.