The son of the Australian woman who arranged for me to come here married the young lady who has been her translator for the past seven years. I don't think they actually met one another until the last couple of years. Her son came as her escort on one or two trips here and that is how the couple met. If their happiness during all the ceremony is any indication, they are truly in love.
I'm really sorry that I don't have many pictures. The ceremony was held at a resort at the bottom of some mountain trail and the sun was quite bright during the afternoon, which made it impossible to see what the camera was focusing on. Also I was sitting at an odd angle and didn't have a good view of the bride and groom, but I was happy for a seat at all, as 600 people attended the wedding, and I was even slightly in the shade.
First there was a longish western style ceremony. A female pastor came from Australia, but several other local pastors spoke first. The groom's sisters each read from Scripture, then the vows were said and rings exchanged. The Australian pastor preached from the Song of Songs and then the couple took communion. Everything was translated into Mizo which effectively doubled the length of the ceremony.
The bride and groom left to change into traditional dress for a Mizo wedding and there was an entertainment provided by a local dance team. I asked my escort, Dr. Lawma, head of the Old Testament studies department, whether he had ever seen a Mizo wedding, and he said no. In fact, no one else here that I have asked has seen one either. The Mizos were evangelized 100 years ago and not much remains of the local culture outside of some dances and their language.
First the dancers did the bamboo dance which looks like this: https://youtu.be/RhJTKPPq1G4 The dancers were too far to get a picture but here is the sole musician who accompanied the dancers at the wedding.
His speech was not translated into English so I had to rely on my escort. Apparently, the minister made some speeches against the Christianization/westernization of the native peoples. That hula hoop looking thing he is holding is made of some natural fiber; Dr. Lawma called it a rope, but it was rigid. He had the bride and groom step into it and hold it about waist level while he spoke. It is supposed to join them together and instead of wedding rings. Then they were to drink out of one cup with two straws, cheek to cheek. Afterwards, he gave the bride a wrap to put around her new husband, but then they both wrapped up in it. Finally, they sang a special song, which turned out to be the Mizo national anthem. Not exactly what I would have picked for a wedding.
The mothers of the bride and groom made speeches and then the food was to have been served, but it was stuck in a traffic jam. We had already been there for about four hours and decided it was a good time to make a get-away. As we were walking back up the hill to the car, the truck with the food was descending. But, as I have said previously, Mizo food is not really worth waiting for.
I'm really sorry that I don't have many pictures. The ceremony was held at a resort at the bottom of some mountain trail and the sun was quite bright during the afternoon, which made it impossible to see what the camera was focusing on. Also I was sitting at an odd angle and didn't have a good view of the bride and groom, but I was happy for a seat at all, as 600 people attended the wedding, and I was even slightly in the shade.
First there was a longish western style ceremony. A female pastor came from Australia, but several other local pastors spoke first. The groom's sisters each read from Scripture, then the vows were said and rings exchanged. The Australian pastor preached from the Song of Songs and then the couple took communion. Everything was translated into Mizo which effectively doubled the length of the ceremony.
The bride and groom left to change into traditional dress for a Mizo wedding and there was an entertainment provided by a local dance team. I asked my escort, Dr. Lawma, head of the Old Testament studies department, whether he had ever seen a Mizo wedding, and he said no. In fact, no one else here that I have asked has seen one either. The Mizos were evangelized 100 years ago and not much remains of the local culture outside of some dances and their language.
First the dancers did the bamboo dance which looks like this: https://youtu.be/RhJTKPPq1G4 The dancers were too far to get a picture but here is the sole musician who accompanied the dancers at the wedding.
She is wearing three gongs around her waist by which the dancers kept the rhythm. I have seen a similar dance done by dancers from the Philippines.
Then the dancers did a couple dance like this. https://youtu.be/1KxsLNATqeY It is imitating a rooster and a hen. I was close enough to get some pictures of this, but every time I hit the button, the dancers turned and all I got was their back sides. The dancers I saw stayed a lot closer together, but you can see how they are in a total squat position the entire time.
Finally the bride and groom returned in full Mizo dress. My understanding was that the bride is from a group calling themselves Beit Israel. I admit to expecting some vaguely Hebraic custom or ritual but, alas, nothing. Here is the man who conducted the supposedly Mizo ceremony.
His speech was not translated into English so I had to rely on my escort. Apparently, the minister made some speeches against the Christianization/westernization of the native peoples. That hula hoop looking thing he is holding is made of some natural fiber; Dr. Lawma called it a rope, but it was rigid. He had the bride and groom step into it and hold it about waist level while he spoke. It is supposed to join them together and instead of wedding rings. Then they were to drink out of one cup with two straws, cheek to cheek. Afterwards, he gave the bride a wrap to put around her new husband, but then they both wrapped up in it. Finally, they sang a special song, which turned out to be the Mizo national anthem. Not exactly what I would have picked for a wedding.
The mothers of the bride and groom made speeches and then the food was to have been served, but it was stuck in a traffic jam. We had already been there for about four hours and decided it was a good time to make a get-away. As we were walking back up the hill to the car, the truck with the food was descending. But, as I have said previously, Mizo food is not really worth waiting for.
How beautiful! Thanks for posting the youtube links. ss
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