Last week I had the opportunity to attend the engagement of
two of our sweet staff members, Lydia and Nosa. Lydia lives with the Omorefe
family and cooks us delicious dinners every night, and Nosa is John’s younger
brother who works at the water house we have on-site. These two sweet souls are
getting married at the end of the month, and I actually have the honor of being
a bridesmaid! This whole wedding experience is certainly a cultural adventure
for me.
Ghana wedding tradition is quite different from that of the
States. Here, they use the presentation of a dowry to signify the official
beginning of the engagement. The man must participate in a “knocking,” where he
visits the home of the bride’s family and asks for a list of things to include
in the dowry. After a few months of searching and bartering, the groom presents
the dowry to the family in a ceremony that includes a lot of picture taking,
offerings, fancy clothes, and formal presentations of both gifts and people.
For Lydia and Nosa’s, we took a day trip to the mountains that beckon us from
our view. The trip was beautiful, a landscape I hadn’t experienced yet in
Ghana… The trees were lush, the forests thick, and the sights incredible once
Autumn navigated the STEEP climb. I was thankful that Caty was in the country
this week and was able to experience these sights with me.
Though the ceremony itself was particularly long and sweaty
(and all the balloons started popping because they were too hot), I am thankful
to have been able to experience this day. We took three cars of people to go
witness the declaration of Nosa’s intent to marry Lydia, and it was so sweet to
see them together. A few weeks ago, I went with Lydia to go try on her wedding
dress… The usually stoic and reserved Lydia practically skipped out of the
house we were at, cheering “That’s my wedding gown!!” I am excited to see where
God leads these two together, and thankful that their timing allowed me to be a
part of this beautiful progression of events.
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