THE
SWAHILI WEDDING
By: Lubnah Abdulhalim
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| Photo Courtesy: goplacesard.com |
The Coastal wedding is not only an event
of family gathering but also a deep cultural affair. It is one of the most
prioritized events in the Swahili community which is one of the largest
language groups in Coast and these cultural events can be very interesting.
Once a man has come forward to the lady’s family to bring his proposal, then
that is just the beginning of the Swahili weddings. The engagement event itself
has a lot of merry and the lady’s family prepare with different kinds of foods
and more to that; mashairi are recited to the bridegroom’s family to show the
great joy that is joining the two families. Dowry is discussed whereby the two
families negotiate on the amount of money, property or furniture to be paid to
the bride.
Swahili weddings are quite similar to
the Arab traditions of weddings since there is said to be a blood relation and
connection between the two tribes. The Swahili elders are said to save money,
utensils and even gold special for such an event in the family. This just shows
to what extent this event is important to them.
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| Photo Courtesy: lifeinmombasa.com |
The families prepare themselves by
making arrangements of the initial wedding day. The women apply the ‘piko’ and ‘henna’
at their arms and legs which are the most likeable adornment amongst the
Swahili culture. Shopping for the bride are done immediately while the men
share duties on the wedding program. The Swahili women have always been known
for the colourful and glittery attires and jewellery that they wear during the
event without forgetting the complicated hairstyles everyone prepares for
uniquely.
A
Swahili wedding is never complete without the numerous tasty foods served for
the guests and most importantly, for the men of the two families which is known
as ‘chakula cha mkono’ which is normally prepared by the bride’s family. The
foods include mikate ya sinia, vitumbua, sambusa, kebabs, vilosa amongst
others. And of course biriani being majority’s favourite doesn’t miss out for
the lunch event. The recipes have not changed over the years and they really
display the Swahili culture in depth.
Most of the times, the event occurs in a
hall or sometimes at home grounds. Some families send invitations through cards
while others send family members in small groups to invite other guests. This
has always been according to the pockets of the family and how big or small a
wedding is going to be. The hall is usually decorated in such an attractive way
with colourful designs with a couch or comfortable seat placed on a stage for
the bride and groom when they arrive.
The initial wedding event is the ‘nikah’
ceremony which is mostly done at the mosque whereby the bridegroom is asked for
the consent of the marriage while the bride is represented by her father or
brother or uncle in the father’s absence. The women are usually located in a
place near the mosque whereby they hear the Imam or Kadhi asking for the
consent. This is done according to the Islam religion since majority of the
Swahili are known Muslims. Both the bride and the groom are asked to give their
consent thrice to ensure that no one forced them in to agreeing. Halwa and
kahawa sometimes with meat is usually served during this event.
After that, the men are served their
food separately while women have their other events going on like a lunch party
‘the shinda’ whereby the women wear the same kind of clothes ‘sare’ to show
solidarity amongst them, ‘kupamba’ and ‘kesha’ whereby the latter are commonly
done during the night to wee hours of the morning. The Swahili weddings are
commonly characterized with the ‘tarab’ songs and a lot of dancing and thus,
usually, no men are allowed in the area.
The climax of the event is when the
bride arrives at the hall where the merry is taking place. She is made to sit
at a special seat or couch on a stage where everyone can see her. Not long
after that, the bridegroom comes along. The guests and all family members have
a photo session with the couple where lots of pictures are taken with the ones
present. The bridegroom then takes away his wife after a long tiring night at
the event.
The bride is advised and given tips on
the new marriage life she is about to begin and the couple is usually regarded
as newlyweds until the first child is born or after a certain period of time
has passed. The bride is also given so many presents to start her life and
mostly it includes house utensils, jewellery and clothes especially the leso
which is very common amongst the Swahili.
The Mijikenda weddings also have quite
some similarities with the wedding programs of the Swahili and thus, have an
aura of the unity at the coast. If you haven’t been to one, then make an effort
to get an invitation. For sure, it is an eye catching event; that you will
always remember.
