My husband and I spent some wonderful days just before and after Xmas in the rural Transkei - it was a great experience, truly unforgettable. We were invited to attend a friends traditional Xhosa wedding which took place on the 21st of December, but was a three day affair. It was extremely interesting to watch the traditions, protocol and social networking that went on during the events. Although I understood very little of the language, I felt very welcome and at home with the family and friends who were also there.
There were too many interesting experiences to list them all, but some of the highlights included watching the slaughtering of the sheep which was quite an affair and I was fortunate to be allowed to watch (it is exclusively male dominated), the actual ceremony where alders of the community spoke to the couple about their roles and responsiblities, and the cooking which took place over a couple of days and fed the entire village and all the family that travelled for the event too - at least 100 people - and all done by the women of the family and the surrounding houses. It was all quite an adventure for a city girl like me.
Brett (my husband) and I pitched our tent in the family's garden. We were treated like honoured guests at the wedding and were welcomed into their home for xmas and each evening for supper. Generally the trip taught me about being grateful for everything I have, the little things like running water, a flush toilet, good roads and access to the shops in a two minute drive (not a 20minute harrowing drive in a taxi).
I'll post some photo's tomorrow and hopefully they will convey the beauty of the surrounds and the people we were with!
These are the ladies who had cooked for about two days and made a delicious lunch for the entire village and all friends and family. The most impressive thing was the perfect rice cooked on the fire in the black pot!
This was the view from our tent. It is a really beautiful part of the South African Transkei and although the services are basic, the people there are friendly and tend not to complain about the situation they are in - something I am going to do on my next posting: things to complain about (roads, water, sewerage, clinics etc)
Our tent pitched in the garden of a friend's small holding. The rondaval ('rondie') next to it is where the bridal couple slept and will be their home anytime they visit the family.
