Gatherings with music in Zambia: wedding
Gatherings with music in Zambia: wedding. In former days, the coming out of the Cisungu was a big feast, the wedding was not.1See also Doke (1931:Chapter 10).
In the 1980s, the wedding (Bwinga) was in most cases a small ceremony, the festive part of which resembled a normal, small beer party.
Photo 20 ∵ A wedding
A small beer party for a wedding in 1986. The bride, with the white head-cloth, can be seen at the right of the group.
A larger festivity in the 2000s
Gatherings with music in Zambia: wedding. Since the 2000s, some weddings have become large festivities involving many people. One reason is that there is more money in the region than in the 1980s. Secondly, christian groups pay more attention to the instruction of the partners, though not on sexual matters, as discussed under Cisungu. The choir of the christian group(s) involved performs at the Bwinga. The rekindling of Cisungu and the consequent rise of women’s music and knowledge also influence on the ceremony.
Like all gatherings, new and old, in Chibale, it is a mixture of elements from former times and today, from inside Chibale and from outside.
Film 2 ∵ Bwinga
An impression of the proceedings of a wedding ceremony (Bwinga) near Chibale village in 2004.
Footnotes
- 1See also Doke (1931:Chapter 10).