We arrived about 0830 and there were quite a few people there. We were served some coffee and bread. I gave my camera to Juan so he could use it to get the photos he wanted. We sat for almost 2 hours and then were served a Coke and some more bread. We found out that there was not going to be a service for all of us. The families were in another part of the house and all of us were seated outside.
Then some people came out and placed a table in front of us. Within a few minutes the bride, Tomasa and the groom, Felipe came out and stood by the table.The photo below is of Tomas and Pedro. About 6 months ago Tomas was very sick and people gathered in his house to say their final good-byes. He came to clinic last Saturday and told me that God wanted him to live longer and and that is why he is still here. To his left is Pedro from Mactzul VI. I have previously blogged about his son dying and that he and his wife are having a very hard time.
A prayer is offered before the family receives gifts. The family of Tomasa gave numerous bundles of gifts to the family of Felipe. As the gifts were presented, Tomas counted them aloud and then they were rebundled. The couple will now live with the groom's family.
There were many, many gifts given. I am sure there were over 200 people there. As I have stated before, the culture is different and I do not understand many things. There was more crying today then at the funeral I attended and it did not seem to be tears of happiness. The bride and groom never smiled and very seldom stood close together.
We were served a traditional wedding lunch of rice, squash and beef with a special sauce and tamalitos. It is amazing the amount of food that these ladies can prepare for larger crowds. It was a very good day and I wish Tomasa and Felipe many years of happiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment