Cultural Event #2

This week's cultural event comes to you all the way from Fiji!.... sort of.

I had the privilege of attending Fijian wedding this week. One of my wife's best friends married a young man from these isles, and we got to go. There wasn't much out of place at the sealing and luncheon aside from the leis the men wore and the flowers above the ladies' ears. I was glad to see that my wife was wearing hers above the left ear, which means that person is taken. But the real party didn't start until that evening at the reception.

They were playing classic Fijian music which seemed to waft over you just as the smells from their authentic barbecue. They greeted you warmly and directed you inside where they had tables set up around the West and East sides of the room. On the North was a long banquet table reserved for the Bridal Party facing the buffet tables on the South. The whole area in the center was left open, for dancing I assumed. I sat with my wife and in-laws and waited a few moments until the start of the program.

To open the program, they introduced every member of the Bridal party leading up to the Bride and Groom. That took nearly 30 minutes because the party was so large. Once they were all seated, they had servants dressed as islanders, probably family, serve them food and drink. Then the guests were invited to go and get in the buffet line. The food was authentic, cooked by the family themselves. They had a rice and cinnamon dish, several meats, and a few drinks that were interesting. One was watermelon coconut juice, and the other was a slushed pineapple and orange drink reserved specifically for VIPs. 10 minutes after everyone was seated again, they started the entertainment. This was around 8 o'clock and it didn't stop until midnight. I felt so sorry for the poor Bride and Groom! I remember what it was like waiting until my reception was over... but anyways, moving on.

The numbers were many. First, 2 of the cousins and their guitars. They played 5 love songs with a few encores. Next was a group of hula dancers. It's always been interesting to me to watch the story they tell with their hands, as opposed to other guys there who were more interested in their hips. We were then privileged with a war dance. They had the real attire complete with leaves and spears. They shouted and jumped and snarled and growled and sang and march and so forth. The next number was a group of women who sang some Fijian love songs a cappella. All of these lasted until 11:30 when the Bride and Groom had their first dance and the Bride finally threw her bouquet. By midnight, we had bid the young couple farewell.

It was a cultural eye-opener to attend this wedding. In most Utah weddings, we just show up to congratulate the couple, drop the gift, grab a taste of whatever is being served and leave. These people partied all night! There was dancing even after the couple left! It was a huge, family wide celebration with lots and lots of food. It makes me wonder what exactly our culture has forgotten. What exactly changed at the centuries have passed? Have we just moved more and more toward informality and political correctness?

I would rate the performances as an eight. You could tell that they were all family and friends performing, but they had practiced and were very professional. They obviously did this a lot, maybe even for a living. The background music was a soothing perfect fit for the atmosphere and island decorations, so I'd rate it as a 9. The decorations get a 10 for being island-ish, and yet keeping in harmony with a North American wedding theme. Overall, that's a rating of over 9! I really liked it. Even though I couldn't stomach all of the food, I would do it again in a heartbeat.