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Burundian Traditional Wedding

Picture this: A celebration filled with joy, love, and cultural richness. In Burundi, weddings are not just about the union of two individuals, but a beautiful tapestry of customs, traditions, and community involvement. From the momentous preparations to the enchanting ceremonies, Burundian weddings are a sight to behold. One fascinating aspect is the pre-wedding rituals, where families come together to bless the couple and exchange gifts. These rituals symbolize the unity and support of the community. Additionally, the wedding attire, filled with vibrant colors and intricate designs, reflects the cultural heritage of Burundi. There are 3 steps that completes a traditional wedding in Burundi, first it’s the Gusaba which translates to asking in English, second we have the engagement ceremony and third we have the wedding.

Gusaba

The first step into the traditional wedding is gusaba which means asking for the woman’s hand in marriage. So what happens is both families arrange a meeting and this meeting is between important man and women on both sides of the family who are called “ Abashingantahe” which translates to representatives of the family and they make important decisions regarding the wedding and the dowry. Abashingantahe are usually the fathers, uncles, aunties and close family friends who are trusted. So During the gusaba process the groom brings gifts to the bride's side of the family and he states his case to the family, telling the family what brought him to the house and his intentions. During this process both family  ofcourse are already aware so the bride father then says okey great and states a dowry for his daughter. A dowry is a traditiona practice where the groom’s side of the family provides gifts,money or land, livestock or jewelry to strengthen the bond between families and to thank the bride side of the family for raising a daughter who is worthy to be a bride.

Engagement

After the gusaba part comes the engagement. The bride's side of the family is in charge of the engagement party. Hospitality, food, music and entertainment. The engagement party is open to the public. This is where the bride and groom will declare their love infront of people and normally the groom gives the bride the engagement ring and the bride gives the groom a watch. During this stage both families introduce themselves to each other and the bride has to give the siblings of the groom and his parents and the groom also gifts the bride's siblings and parents. If the bride or groom have 10 -15 siblings you must prepare a gift or all 10- 15 siblings. Normally on this day both parties are dressed in Burundians traditional attire. We call the clothes imvutano or umushanana.

Wedding

Last but not least we have the church wedding ceremoney. Where the bride and groom share their vows infront of the church and receive blessings from everyone. During this time they exchange their wedding rings and sign their wedding papers in front of the church. The church serves as a witness to theeir union. After the church wedding the guest go to the reception where there will be food and entertainment. The groom's side of the family handles the wedding party and hospitality of everyone. Each family selects a representative or a spokesperson to represent them, it cannot be the bride or groom's parents. It has to be a man. It can be an uncle or a family friend. After the guests have eaten and it is getting towards the end the last part is called gutekera which means to pack. The bride's side of the family packs up everything that belongs to the bride, her clothes, food, and things that she will need to start her new home and they bring it all to her as well as their gifts. This is the bride’s family wishing her a farewell and happy mariage.

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Burundian Traditional wedding and the different parts that goes into the traditional wedding.

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Burundian Traditional Wedding

Picture this: A celebration filled with joy, love, and cultural richness. In Burundi, weddings are not just about the union of two individuals, but a beautiful tapestry of customs, traditions, and community involvement. From the momentous preparations to the enchanting ceremonies, Burundian weddings are a sight to behold. One fascinating aspect is the pre-wedding rituals, where families come together to bless the couple and exchange gifts. These rituals symbolize the unity and support of the community. Additionally, the wedding attire, filled with vibrant colors and intricate designs, reflects the cultural heritage of Burundi. There are 3 steps that completes a traditional wedding in Burundi, first it’s the Gusaba which translates to asking in English, second we have the engagement ceremony and third we have the wedding.

Gusaba

The first step into the traditional wedding is gusaba which means asking for the woman’s hand in marriage. So what happens is both families arrange a meeting and this meeting is between important man and women on both sides of the family who are called “ Abashingantahe” which translates to representatives of the family and they make important decisions regarding the wedding and the dowry. Abashingantahe are usually the fathers, uncles, aunties and close family friends who are trusted. So During the gusaba process the groom brings gifts to the bride's side of the family and he states his case to the family, telling the family what brought him to the house and his intentions. During this process both family  of course are already aware so the bride father then says okey great and states a dowry for his daughter. A dowry is a traditiona practice where the groom’s side of the family provides gifts,money or land, livestock or jewelry to strengthen the bond between families and to thank the bride side of the family for raising a daughter who is worthy to be a bride.

Engagement

After the gusaba part comes the engagement. The bride's side of the family is in charge of the engagement party. Hospitality, food, music and entertainment. The engagement party is open to the public. This is where the bride and groom will declare their love in front of people and normally the groom gives the bride the engagement ring and the bride gives the groom a watch. During this stage both families introduce themselves to each other and the bride has to give the siblings of the groom and his parents and the groom also gifts the bride's siblings and parents. If the bride or groom have 10 -15 siblings you must prepare a gift or all 10- 15 siblings. Normally on this day both parties are dressed in Burundians traditional attire. We call the clothes imvutano or umushanana.

Wedding

Last but not least we have the church wedding ceremony. Where the bride and groom share their vows in front of the church and receive blessings from everyone. During this time they exchange their wedding rings and sign their wedding papers in front of the church. The church serves as a witness to their union. After the church wedding the guest go to the reception where there will be food and entertainment. The groom's side of the family handles the wedding party and hospitality of everyone. Each family selects a representative or a spokesperson to represent them, it cannot be the bride or groom's parents. It has to be a man. It can be an uncle or a family friend. After the guests have eaten and it is getting towards the end the last part is called gutekera which means to pack. The bride's side of the family packs up everything that belongs to the bride, her clothes, food, and things that she will need to start her new home and they bring it all to her as well as their gifts. This is the bride’s family wishing her a farewell and happy marriage.