Zulu wedding

           Lately I have been thinking about the future and what it might hold in store. Who wouldn't? We are seniors in high school, it comes up. Skipping past the college I would like to attend and career parts I started contemplating about marriage. Do I want to get married? Truthfully, I have not taken this question into deep consideration as others have. (You would be surprised). As I watched TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress I began to think more and more about weddings especially the different traditions around the world.

           Zululand, South Africa. Once I started reading about the traditions and customs I was amazed by how much effort the Zulu people give into making a wedding enjoyable for everyone. It all starts off with the bride. The bride may change her clothes up to three times a day in order to show off how beautiful she looks in a variety of colors to her in-laws. Bags of assorted pebbles are tied to her ankles, primarily to help with the rhythm as she dances later throughout her wedding.  A major aspect of a Zulu wedding consists of beaded jewelry. The bride-to-be makes two sets of bead necklaces in matching colors; one for the groom-to-be and one for her. These color-coded necklaces let everyone in the village know they are an item. The wedding typically takes place at night when the moon is bright since a “faint mole” is a symbol of bad luck as well as making the celebration less festive. Traditionally the bride’s parents do not attend the wedding as it is too sad to see her go. The ceremony may last up to two days and ends once the bride picks up her sleeping mat and heads for her husband’s house. For the wedding ceremony, she will change into a traditional outfit including a headdress made from her mother’s hair. The wedding ceremony ends with ukwaba, which is the process where the bride gives gifts in the form of blankets to her new family. The long-deceased family members receive gifts as well and are represented by the living ones. The bride accompanied by her bridesmaids end by performing a dance. Now it wouldn't be a wedding if the in-laws didn't welcome the bride, would it? After the ceremony is over, the bride is traditionally introduced to her new family with the slaughter of a cow. The cow is slaughtered by the groom's family to show their acceptance of the new bride in their home. The bride then puts money inside the cow's stomach while her guests look on; she is now officially part of the family.