Asmara Eritrea - February 05 2017 - The wedding of Sara and Tiblets in Sembel

 

At 9:00 I visit the family of my wife. It is a two kilometers walk. No need to take a taxi. Walking to the house of Feshaye and Yordanos, I pass a tent where a marriage celebration is starting. "Come in! Everybody is welcome!" is the welcoming invitation from the family of the bride to the passing tourist. I tell them I am on my way to visit my family. I will be happy to return after this visit.

In the house of Yordanos and Feshaye I have some tea and a small chat. Most of the family members are out anyway. 

When one of the children is leaving to the church for her Sunday school, I ask if I can join her, to visit the church. The girl shows me the church compound and the Sunday school.

Passing some very small and modest houses on my way to the wedding, I am invited in by an Eritrean family. "Sit down! You want coffee?" asks Simret, the only English speaking girl on the compound. Of course I am expected to reply with yes. I drink coffee with the family and watch the neigbor, Hanna, who is roasting grain. It is the first stage in the production of Suwa, a beer like traditional Eritrean drink.

Fortunately I have some small gifts to reward their hospitality (pencils, and chewing gum). No problem to make some pictures. "Please bring them when you come to us next time". I promise to do so and leave to the wedding.

When I am still walking around in the area (it is a little early to go to the wedding), a man invites me to visit the nearby Saint Mary's Psychiatric Hospital. "The hospital needs help" he says. Indeed the hostiptal is in a poor state of maintenance. He invites me to come back another day, when more staff will be in. He will show me the interior of the hospital then and introduce me to the staff.

At 12:00 I return to the wedding. I leave my name in the guest book and make my donation to the wedding. From the book I read that most of the guests donated 50 or 100 Nakfa, so I make it 200 Nakfa, as I am sure I will have a wonderful experience today.

The guests are invited to sit in a group of 6-8 people around a small iron table that can also hold the suwa cups. A large injera with berbere sauce in the middle is served. I am invited to wash my hands, and eat. "Bla!" Suwa is served from a large copper kettle. I sip some of the suwa, and judge it with a polite "tu'um" (which is Tigrinya for delicious).

Like always I brought my camera to capture my daily experieces. When I start shooting pictures, a boy gives me a small note, with the text "no picture!" It is a clear instruction to store the camera in the bag, and not to disturb the intimacy of the celebration. But after a short acquaintance chat with the father of the bride, it is okay to make some pictures. I should have asked in advance anyway. The invitation was to be a guest, and not to disturb the privacy. As a Western tourist we sometimes forget that we should not act upon our norms and values, but should be aware of the local customs and regulations.

Around 15:00 the wedding becomes more lively, when women start to sing and play their drums outside. Half an hour later a three member band starts performing live music. I do my best to join the dancing guests. The interaction is most appreciated.

Then there is the usual rituals: The priest blessing the wedding, the spokesmen of the two families performing the act of the mutual promises.

At 18:00 the bride and bridegroom arrive. For them and the close family a VIP buffet diner is brought in. The married couple is the first to eat, followed by the close family, and the invited tourist, treated as a special guest.

At 19:00 a beautiful wedding cake is brought in, as well as champagne, or something that looks like champagne. The wedding cake is shared with the guests and the bride and the bridegroom make a last dance, honored by the guests.

Before leaving I offer my sincere thanks to the father of the bride for his hospitality.

It is a two kilometers walk back to the Nda Corea apartment. End of a lovely day.
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Rough streets - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Modern streets - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Kids - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Orthodox Church - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Orthodox Church compound - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Orthodox Church compound - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Orthodox Church Sunday school - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Hanna Preparing the grain for suwa - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Hewan, Delina, Helen and Simret - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Kesanet, the neighbors daughter - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Harat Public transport - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

Modest houses - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

12:00 Wedding tent - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

12:10 Registration of the guests and gifts - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

12:15 Injera and suwa - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

12:20 Suwa container - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

13:30 Father of Sara the bride - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

15:00 Wedding ceremonies - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

15:30 Live music and dance - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

15:30 Dancing women - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

15:30 Dancing woman - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

15:30 Family kids - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

17:30 The priests - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

18:00 The Marying couple! Sara and Tiblets - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

18:00 The VIP buffet diner - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

18:45 The wedding cake - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.

19:00 Toost on a happy wedding - Sembel Asmara Eritrea.