Love, Burkina Faso style

Dave and I were invited to a wedding and thus introduced to the wedding customs of Burkina Faso. I think at least a few of the customs have been either influenced or appropriated from French culture. While I think this wedding would have been different out in the “bush,” it was still a sight to behold.

9 AM, Saturday morning, Dave and I arrived at City Hall and sat in a small-ish conference room with about 75 other guests. We could hear the music blaring from blocks away. The entryway to the room was lined with two rows of women wearing matching white t-shirts, baseball caps and jeans. For some reason, there are women dressed like this at every fancy celebration (for example, international women’s day and mango day ceremonies). The groom was seated at the center table with a witness (presumably his father, guessing from his age and looks) and soon after the bride. Her witness was already seated and appeared to the groom’s mother. Then the music ended and the mayor entered, wearing a fancy government sash. He verified their names, ages and birthplaces of the groom and bride and then set off on a long speech about the ground-rules of marriage from the perspective of the state and also culturally. The couple then signed the marriage license and exchanged rings. Before befitting the other with the ring, the groom and bride held up the rings for all guests to see. Then they stood and knocked heads three times (hard to visualize, but they face each other and touch the left sides of their foreheads, then right sides, then left again) and after head-knocking the groom snuck in a kiss on the lips of the bride (very taboo but everyone cheered!). Then the bride and groom left the room through the pathway of baseball-capped women, who threw confetti on the happy couple. Pictures were taken, and then everyone headed to the Catholic Church for the religious ceremony.

The participants at the church service included almost everyone from the City Hall ceremony (including Muslims) as well as congregants of the church and others from the neighborhood. A choir of about 30 people started coming down the aisle, all dressed in normal clothes (normal for West Africa anyway) and singing a song that was a cross between a church hymn and traditional African song. The bride and groom followed closely behind them and then they all sat the front. For the rest of the ceremony, the choir would stand and sing songs every 10 – 15 minutes or so. The priest said a few words at the outset and the bride did a reading from Corinthians at the pulpit. Then the priest gave a very, very long mass from the altar. Rings were shown to the audience and exchanged again. Instead of vows, the groom asked the bride, “Do you want to be my wife?” She replied, “Yes. And you, do you want to be my husband?” Thankfully he also agreed. Directly after they were presented as husband and wife, the priest baptized the couple’s 5 year old daughter, which took another 30 minutes. After more singing, the ceremony was finally over (total ceremony time: 1 hr 45 min). Then the groom and bride walked up and down the aisles of the church with the choir, singing and dancing, and people got out of the pews to join the dance procession.

The reception followed at a nearby hotel bar. Guests were seated in rows and there was a head table for the couple and their family. The meal was rice and meat inside a Chinese restaurant take-out box. Then there was an announcement about gifts, and everybody stood in a line to give wedding gifts, while someone announced the gift givers’ names on a PA system. Then the crowd dispersed and it was all over.

PS - Just found out that Wagz got married!!! So congratulations to him and Mrs. Wagz!!! Yay for love American and Danish style!