A beautiful Wedding

 Last week one of our beautiful volunteers got married to a lovely Rwandan man. It was such a beautiful day and the ceremony  was wonderful.








We are dressed in Mushananas which is the traditional costume for celebrations.....




....and here is the lovely bride and groom.

There are three parts to a marriage ceremony in Rwanda. The first part is the Civil Ceremony which is held at the local (umurenge) office and is the legally binding part of the marriage. This was held in the morning. 


Later on, in the afternoon the traditional dowry ceremony was held. This is a beautiful event and very fascinating in its traditions. The (extended) family is very important in Rwandan society and both families have to agree on the conditions of the marriage. The bride's family has to be assured that the grooms family are going to welcome his new wife and love her as much as they do their own daughters. Then there are traditions connected with cows and the giving of gifts. The bride is protected by her 'princes' until the groom comes to claim his Queen and prove his love. The whole ceremony is colourful and exciting - with dancing and drumming. It was a wonderful day. 


The third part of the wedding ceremony is where the couple are married by God in the church wedding. This part of the marriage will take place in Brigid's home church in Ireland.


They are a lovely couple and we all wish them a long and happy married life together.