Tuesday was a holiday here (Labour Day). For each holiday there is a march past the president and then numerous speeches in front of the Freedom Statue, a significant (although disappointingly small) national landmark. I hadn't been to the national festivities for a holiday yet so I went with my host father to these ones. Not much to report there - we were late and missed the march past and the speeches were interesting enough but there is no point in repeating what was said.
My host dad had asked that morning if I could go to a wedding with them that evening, but to my surprise we also went to the ceremony straight from the Labour Day festivities. I had had no idea that I could end up in a wedding so I was wearing a T-shirt and some pretty casual trousers. When they watch their wedding video they will wonder who the scruffy looking white guy is in the back (especially since I didn't know either the bride or the groom).
The wedding and reception were in many ways a carbon copy of North American wedding events. The steps were all recognizable and the same, although maybe done in a different order than weddings I have attended. The reception included plenty of dancing and loud music and an MC who was apparently very funny in a local language I didn't understand. Most impressive was the highly choreographed dance routines by the wedding party. They had both a nicely arranged entrance (which must have lasted about ten minutes) and then another couple routines later on.
One thing I noticed is that the success of weddings seems to be measured by how many dignitaries you can attract. The presence of the local MP was mentioned on numerous occasions and on the ride back home my host parents were talking about weddings they had attended and making remarks like: "oh, that was a very good wedding. They had cabinet ministers and justices there." The guest-of-honour, who made a speech of advice to the couple (informing them to not use their cell phones as tools of infidelity), was also a former government official.
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