National Geographic-esque

You are looking at a National Geographic magazine special on East African Indian culture. There is a fascinating picture full of color, lights, people, costumes, arabic architecture, the starry night sky, the picture is bursting with music and celebration. Jewels on women's sari's are clinging together and making noise, traditional music is being danced to by henna decorated women and excited men and children. Confetti flies through the air, torches light the different corners of the square.

This is how I spent last weekend. I went to a wedding on Zanzibar with some friends from Dar. Before we left we borrowed saris and jewelery and prepared for our long weekend away. On Thursday I left with some of the family and arrived in the early afternoon. As I was getting ready with some of the other women, I asked them if my dress would be ok, they gave me this look and gave my one of their punjabi's to wear (the Indian dress with the pants underneath). Wearin a bright blue and yellow Indian dress all night was the right kick off to this weekend. I received compliments galore as I entered the temple for the beginning prayer. All the women sat on the floor around the bride who was receiving blessings along with the family. After this we all went back to different houses to rest and regroup before the big event of the evening: the henna party. I got to the party before most of the other guests and was able to soak in the surroundings. There were a bagillion tables, a stage with a fainting couch for the couple, some music, and the scenery of the ocean front with the starry sky. People started arriving and the event began. The couple sat on the stage the entire time, henna was passed out and we decorated each others hands with it (mine is still on my hands), there was some dancing, some food, and a lot of socializing. I had met the family before so it was really nice to get to see them again. At birthday parties here there is a part where ther birthday person feeds cake to each guest and the guests do likewise for the birthday person. I don't think it has to go much without saying that this is my absolutely least favorite part of a birthday party. So of course at this henna party there is cake...and the guests so up and feed the couple...and my friend tells me "Hey Emily, lets go up there together." And I reply with "No, thanks." Instead of saying "ok, thats fine" I get dragged up there literally, have to stand on the stage in front of everyone and feed a complete stranger cake while she is feeding me cake, and then we take a picture.

Thursday night ended around 2 am after some dancing, Friday morning I went to the market with some of the women and then went on a little moped ride around stone town and then to pick up my friend Christen who was coming. After resting we got ready for Friday nights event: the dancing party. We donned our saris and headed off to the huge reception hall. The chairs were set up against the walls (almost like an awkward high school dance) and there was a decorative centerpiece in the middle of the floor. Again the stage was decorated for the couple. They walked in with a processon behind them, they lit some candles in the centerpiece and then following a younger couple doing a choreographed dance, they danced together. After this the singles dance started. Everybody circles the room doing certain simple dance moves, at some points there were circles within circles doing differenty dances. It was very neat to watch because the women wore amazingly beautiful and intricate saris and the men wore traditional Indian clothes as well. Everyone looked beautiful! These dances were a lot of fun but only lasted half the night. About halfway through some performances started. They call this "intermission" funny enough. Some younger family members performed for the bride and groom and we all watched. Very entertaining as they were mostly Indian dances. After this the couples dancing began, still circle dancing but you use sticks and hit them with your partners sticks and then with the persons behind you all as you are turning with your partner and walking in a big circle. A little confusing at first but also a lot of fun! Towards the end of the night we gave up with the sticks and just danced all together. Another late night, got home around 2:30 am.

Saturday morning was supposed to begina at 7 am with prayer at the grooms house, but we didnt arrive there until 9 am. However the celebration was still going on, and we sat and watched at the groom received blessings, perfume, and other dressings from the women of the family. Then we all headed over to the temple fore more prayer and blessings, as this was the day of the actual wedding. I was wearing a white and pink sari, perfect for the morning, and felt absolutely beautiful! The other women were all wearing saris, too, and they kept on asking me if I like to wear them (if you have talked to me about this you know the answer is YES!). After the prayers we had lunch at the temple (Indian food is delicious), and then headed back home to rest and get ready for the wedding. Saturday night was the biggest celebration I have ever attended. We dressed in our nicest saris and went to the grooms house around 7 pm. There was a Tanzanian band playing party music, the groom sat nervously in a car holding a decorated coconut as a gift for the bride (she was going to give him the same), and all of the grooms family was dancing outside the house. The procession started with the band, the family followed behind and the car was last. We all danced in the main streets of Zanzibar all the way to the temple in Stone Town. This is when the National Geographic-ness begins. Imagine a few hundred men and women dancing in the streets of a tropical island adorned with old arabic architecture. There were so many colors from the clothes, the music was loud, people were singing and shouting. There were tourists outside taking pictures of us (that felt kind of weird), and people came out of their houses to watch what was going on. We got to Stone Town where the streets are too narrow for cars to fit down so we all squeezed down these alleys still dancing and finally got to an open square where the dancing swelled. This is where to insert the first image I wrote. I was mixed in with all of the family, being pulled in and out of different circles dancing, singing, laughing, having the time of my life. I felt as if I was in a snapshot from a National Geographic article. After about a half hur of this dancing extravaganza, we all went into the temple for the wedding ceremony. The women sat on the floor as usual and the men stood outside, the ceremony was full of ritualistic things which I wish I knew what they meant. After the cermeony, this was now about 11:30 pm, we went home and eventually went to sleep. Sunday morning came and it was time to leave the Zanzibar island wedding weekend. We said goodbye to the family, I will see them again soon I hope, and went on our way back home to Dar.

I think what struck me the most about the weekend was the hospitality of the family. We borrowed saris from them, they took us on the ferry and opened their homes to us for us to sleep in. The first day I met some new cousins and they literally told me "come with us, we are going to be good friends now." And we were. I saw the people I met last time and the greeted me like a good friend, they fed us, they helped us get dressed, they treated us like any other member of the family. This hospitality is something that I don't know if it will ever stop surprising me. I felt as much a part of their family as any of them did, absolutely incredible.