Islamic Wedding Celebration

This morning we went to a Muslim pre-wedding celebration.  It is a very festive event.  We were greeted with the traditional "la la la la la la la", and in turn, we welcomed others as they joined us. It was fun for Kayla and I to learn how to do this.  Just before the ceremony, we took the kids on a walk to the fruit stand and bought bananas.  They are learning to do things like this for themselves.  Here is the picture from that.

Kayla walking with Joy Center kids to market

Back to the wedding.  It was the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony with bread, figs, engera, berberi, and shiro.  It is interesting that one of the staple dishes here, shiro, is made of chick peas.  It is the main ingredient of hummus, which is a main food in the middle east.  Shiro is a favorite of Kayla and I.  We eat it at almost every meal.  We were so welcomed at the ceremony, and we had a great time.  They had got together earlier that morning to make a big batch of berberi, another spicy dish, that will be eaten at the wedding this weekend. We were invited to have our hands and feet painted with the henna later on in the week.  If we have it done, I will post the pictures. Notice how colorful the clothes of these ladies are.  It is just beautiful!

Kayla being greeted at the ceremony

A sample of the food and ladies present

Very lovely ladies

Kayla and Zemi eating engera and berberi