Wedding Party

We went to our first Malian wedding celebration for our young friend Aïcha. It was actually only part of the celebration: an afternoon just for the ladies involving lots of food and fancy outfits. Although it was an all-day affair, the girls and I just showed up mid-afternoon and stayed only a few hours. We were served the typical Malian party food, a plate heaped with rice topped with eggplant, cabbage, beef and plantains. There were at least 4 other pregnant women there besides me and about a million little kids and babies. It was the biggest Malian party I’ve been to yet. Many of the women came dressed up, or in casual clothes, and some changed into fancier clothes while there, while others came fancy and changed into even more extravagant outfits. I’ve been to quite a few Malian parties and was already familiar with many of the women, but this time a lot of people showed up that I’d never seen before, including some of the most beautiful and elegant women I have ever seen (and not just because of perfect make-up). Eventually the bride herself showed up, looking quite beautiful and outdoing everyone else with her finery and dazzling white dress. Unlike most Congolese weddings, for the Muslim weddings, the white dress is actually fitting for the bride. Unfortunately I had forgotten my phone but it would have been a wonderful opportunity to take pictures. Since many of the women were taking pictures it wouldn’t have been awkward at all. I did get my friend to send me a few which I will share at the end. Once everyone started leaving to go to the next phase of the party (I’m not sure where), we decided to head home instead of sticking with the group. It was a lively and colorful afternoon for sure!