We had the good fortune to be guests at a traditional Rwandan wedding.
On the street outside the host home it was a mix of guests and townspeople.
Most exciting for all.
The fashions were elegant
I made friends with this group of young ones as we waited.
There are three parts to a Rwandan wedding; this day takes 4 hours.
It is acted out as a play with family members taking the parts to reenact
the course of events beginning with the fathers agreeing to the marriage, traditional dances, the cows owner and shepherd singing, playing flutes and dancing, right though the bartering for how many cows the grooms family shall give the bride. It was a marvelous play full of laughter and love. We were served Fanta soda as we all sat for the 3.5 hours. Then there was a feast of rices, potato dishes, roasted bananas with beans, meats in delicious sauces and more.
The beautiful bride and groom.
Katie and I left Kigal’s heat and bustle and headed
north to Munsanze, Ruhengeri specific.
The taxi drive took about two hours and wound up through
the rugged terrain of central Rwanda. The land is
full of crops and farming, goats, cooler air and less congestion.
A common way to transport anything and everything.
This is dried wood that will be used for cooking sources.
This fellow is holding on to
the back of the truck to hitch a ride up the hill.
Further north
Croplands are tiered to avoid erosion. At the base you can
see brown crop squares. There are water channels that divide the squares
that are beneficial for watering the crops.
Along the way I saw a farmer standing in a trench bucketing water
onto one such plot.
Fishing
We got settled at Katie’s home, complete with a sheep who grazes the yard outside our door, a beautiful yellow lab, a hen and many food gardens.
We then walked the 20 minutes to market to get
fresh produce and necessities. With a very dark sky looming
and two most heavy shopping sacks we opted to catch rides with two motos back to the house(motocycle taxis, see them in the 1st photo above).
Great fun and the most efficient way to get around.
There is a driver and you take the place behind,
strap on the helmut (the law) and off you go. 5 minute ride, 300 francs or $0.45.
Life is good! The dyeing begins this week.
