A Malian Wedding : )

Weddings are usually joyous times of celebration, signifying the unity of two people, becoming one. Every culture has different ways of celebrating and performing ceremonies. No wedding is ever alike.

While I was in Mali, I was able to observe a Christian wedding ceremony. It had many similarities to a wedding in the United States, but it also had several things that were notably different.
The attire of those in attendance varied greatly. Some people were dressed quite nicely, some wore fancy, shiny dresses, others just wore a plain skirt and top. The bride wore a white dress, it looked to be similar to an American styled dress, and the groom wore a suit. The rest of the wedding party was dressed similarly to a best man and maid of honor in the US would be. The maid of honor wore a fancy top, and skirt, both made in satin material, and both colored maroon. The best man wore a suit, with a maroon flower in the pocket.
The wedding was on Saturday, June 9, 2007. As the team arrived around 9a.m., we were informed that the time of the ceremony had changed to 10a.m. I found that to be quite interesting that the time of the ceremony had changed just that morning, or so it seemed. Several people gestured to us to sit outside, under an awning, until they opened the doors to seat people inside.
About 30 minutes prior to the starting of the ceremony, they began to seat us inside. There were several people seating the guests, although they were not dressed in accordance with the wedding party. In the United States, it is usually customary to have ushers seat the guests, at most weddings, but that was not practiced at this particular wedding. There did not appear to be a bride’s side and a groom’s side, which allowed the guests to be seated on either side. The balcony was also full by the time the wedding had begun.
One observation that I made, that came across a little unusual, was that during the wedding the bride and groom did not seem to look at each other, communicate with one another, or even touch during the whole ceremony.

Twenty minutes after the ceremony was said to begin, it began. As the couple walked in together, following the Bamankan choir. All the guests stood. The choir proceeded down the center row, in a single file line, singing a song, with the couple following after. Then the choir took their place, and the couple walked up on the stage. In the middle of the stage, there were four chairs. The two on the outside, looked the same, and the two in the middle looked the same. The outside ones had ribbon tied around them. The bride and groom sat in the two middle chairs, and the “best man” and “maid of honor” sat on the outside chairs. There was also a row of five or so chairs behind the couple. The pastors and leaders of the ceremony sat in the chairs behind the couple.
After the couple was seated, someone prayed, and then we, the guests, all stood and sang two songs with a choir. There were three choirs that were present at the wedding, each singing in a different language. The French choir, Bamankan choir, and the Kalanban choir each sang a different song to the couple.
There was a pastor who read some Scripture, and then Joseph Camara, gave the main message. After he had finished, the pastors surrounded the couple, someone prayed for them. The couple exchanged a kiss, before they exchanged their rings. After they had exchanged their rings, and said, “I do”, one of the pastors, gave them some gifts. I am not sure who the gifts were from, whether they were from the church or family, I am uncertain. The pastor would say something, hand the gift to the groom, the bride would touch it, and then the groom would hand the gift to the best man. After all this was done, someone prayed, the couple walked down off the stage, and people came up and congratulated them. The ceremony lasted 2 hours.
In comparison with many of the other weddings I have been to, a traditional Christian Malian wedding was quite similar to one in the United States. Although the ceremony was longer than most in the United States, the actual ceremony was similar. The coming together of two people, when God is obviously the center of their focus, is a beautiful thing. Although, I did not understand everything that was said during the wedding, through people’s actions, it was obvious that the bride and groom have families and friends that are going to support their marriage and that God will be part of their lives.