Kama harusi

I was invited to a "Bariki Ndoa" a few weeks back. I asked multiple people to explain to me what it was we were to be celebrating at this party. I heard it explained a few different ways, but the best explanation was that this askari wanted to have his "marriage" blessed, because even though they are finished having kids, they never had an actual wedding. However, this is not to be confused with an actual wedding, but rather having God bless their marriage as they acknowledge before they were living in sin, but they want to be recognized as a married couple in the eyes of God. Everyone was so surprised that this is not a common practice in America. So even though this was not a wedding, all the guests were invited to the Catholic church on a Saturday morning at 10:00. I was told to come to the house at 2:00, and I arrived in African fashion at 4:00. Its a good thing I decided to walk with some ladies that had tight skirts on and could not be bothered to move faster than a snail's pace, as we arrived just when the guests of honor arrived in the midst of a parade of Masai singing and dancing.

There was a ton of different delicious food, a church choir, and a "DJ" who actually acted as an MC. After the guests of honor (the not-really-newlyweds, and what I can best explain as the best couple) stood in front of a makeshift shelter all decorated with pink flowers, white sheets, and pink balloons, all the guests greeted them in receiving line fashion while the other guests sat and watched. The MC called out on a microphone for certain relations to come forward bearing their gifts. Some of the ladies really got into singing and dancing as the processed up the isle to greet the couples.

I was beginning to think this was it when the cake cutting began. It was cut into bite-sized cubes which were pierced with toothpicks. After the couple fed each other cake while their actions were narrated by the MC, he called out for the pastor to stand and the couple to feed him cake. After the pastor went the parents, and then the MC thought that I being the only mazungu must be rather important so I too was fed cake. I believe my cheeks turned the shade of the flowers decorating the cake. I try my best to blend into the crowd so that I am not stared at here, but when I am the only white person in a huge gathering, it is absolutely impossible.