At the beginning of August (it feels like forever ago to me), there was the wedding of Mari and Patricio. This was the first wedding of a Kichwa and a westerner in history and the first traditional wedding in the community in decades. Preparations were extensive – including finding people who actually remember the traditional dances and ceremony. An uncle traveled 10 hours on a bus to deliver some old cups (clay) that are used without even knowing he was really invited to the wedding – so he bought another pair of socks & undies and stayed.
One of the most heartfelt and moving experiences I’ve ever had was actually the day before the wedding – a ceremony called a Pedida. It is a ceremony between the two families where the grooms family one by one gets on their knees (which is never done here) and asks the brides family one by one for her hand while she sits in the middle of the room. They had arranged for two translators – Kichwa and English so that the two families could actually communicate. After each dialogue, the family members sealed the deal with a drink of something that was delicious and strong (I was given some drinks afterwards). And then a shared meal, complete with bbq’d grubs.
As a non-family member I was able to witness this as I took some videos and then set up mosquito nets for the visitors that were going to spend the night that at their house before the wedding.
One of the most heartfelt and moving experiences I’ve ever had was actually the day before the wedding – a ceremony called a Pedida. It is a ceremony between the two families where the grooms family one by one gets on their knees (which is never done here) and asks the brides family one by one for her hand while she sits in the middle of the room. They had arranged for two translators – Kichwa and English so that the two families could actually communicate. After each dialogue, the family members sealed the deal with a drink of something that was delicious and strong (I was given some drinks afterwards). And then a shared meal, complete with bbq’d grubs.
As a non-family member I was able to witness this as I took some videos and then set up mosquito nets for the visitors that were going to spend the night that at their house before the wedding.
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