A KALANGA WEDDING

Like every tribe the Bakalanga have their own ways and beliefs but that's a topic for another day. Today I want us to focus on the love side, a beautiful build up towards tying a knot. 

A man must approach a girl or a woman she loves and feels like she is the one, he will propose and states his love intentions to this girl/woman, but the girl won't admit that she feels the same way right on the spot, she will drag this man for sometime without answering his proposal. This process is considered a test to confirm if he is real serious about his intentions, if he sticks around then he is serious she will accept his proposal and the love journey will begin. The man will have to marry her before they can indulge in sex. The Kalanga wedding build up is considered sacred.

The wedding process

The man will inform his family about his intentions and the family will gather and delegate the Uncle and the Aunt to visit the girls family and inform them about their sons intentions this process is called Kunopala nkadzi. The girls family will ask their daughter if they must go ahead with the negotiation, if she says yes then the negotiations will start.

The girls family will sit down and prepare a list of all the things that he will have to bring before the wedding can go on, normal the list will include: a suit for the father and uncles, kalanga dress and tjali for the mother and aunts, live goat for the brother its called thetenini, a live sheep for the partenal aunt its called khwizi ya mahadzi and a live cow for introductions, the dowry of not more than eight cows will paid to the girls family by the man its called lobola. If all the above charges are met then the wedding will go on.

This process is regarded as gratitude the girls family by the man.

Villagers and the two families will be invited for the final celebration as the couple ties the knot.

Stay tuned for my next insert as I will be taking you through the WEDDING CELEBRATION.