If you miss a Swahili wedding, you definitely miss out!
A wedding is something someone does not want to miss out on when invited, and a
Swahili wedding is definitely one wedding that you would beg for an invite.
Going for one, however, requires great expense for you to look good and stunning for all to see. You never know, you might get your catch there.
The wedding, be it a sister's, relative's, friend's or friend's friend's wedding, it really doesn’t matter, what matters is you, how you are going to look like on the D-day.
Swahili women can take a whole month preparing for the wedding and it’s not even theirs.
This includes buying the right outfit and in this case, it should be something that will stand out, just like in a beauty contest.
‘RUNWAY FOR MODELS’
When the wedding is a week to come, the women start by applying ‘henna’ and ‘piko’ on hands and legs, but on D-day, the women wake up to facials and finishings and, to top it all, a red-carpet dress! Where would you be going without the 'wow' dress?
No one wants to be left behind, and every single woman is out to appear as the most attractive; you would think it is a runway for models.
One would prefer to sleep for three nights without food but get the perfect dress and outfit for the wedding.
In Mombasa, these dresses are found in plenty in boutiques, you just have to get your price right.
You must, however, go into the shops with a keen eye only because the dresses are untouchable.
Your pocket must be loaded; these dresses are nothing to laugh about.
But it’s worth it, since you want to be the queen of the event.
Luckily, at an Old Town boutique, these kinds of dresses are found at an affordable price and are very adorable.
Fanar Fashions, a boutique with these exquisite yet affordable dresses, is a place you would want to visit a week before the wedding to get the perfect dress for you.
An attendant said the dresses range from Sh5,000-Sh15,000, depending on the quality, design and appeal.
That is the budget for only the dress. The jewellery, shoes and make-up must also be put into consideration for you to look stunning.
SWAHILI WEDDING RITUALS
The D-day comprises two sections. The first is the ‘nikkah’, where the two lovebirds are joined together by the Kadhi.
The second is the celebrations, which the Swahili people refer to as ‘kupamba’. This is where the beauty competition starts.
Here, attendees (mainly women) dance to music known as ‘taarab’ as they dance into a circle known as ‘mduara’.
This is now the place you would want to show off all your beauty as you dance around the circle with your hands and fingers raised high, as you sing along.
No one would enter the mduara without that perfect outfit, because as others dance, others are seated watching, as if spectators, just to pick a topic of the day after the wedding.
This mainly happens at night from 7pm-11pm, giving people the comfort as they dress to whatever they want.
Remember I talked about Nikkah. During this time, women prefer to put on dresses known as ‘deras’.
Deras are free dresses but they also have that amazing look.
At Hafee Fashions boutique, this deras range from Sh3,000-Sh4,000.
The budget for a single wedding, therefore, needs a lot of thinking and planning.
For you to be the queen of the event, the least you would have to spend is approximately Sh15,000 from the two dresses to two pairs of shoes, two pairs of jewellery and make-up, which you would have to refresh after the nikkah to head to the celebrations.
That’s how costly a Swahili wedding is, which is a must-attend.