Ugandans celebrate major events with much pomp and ceremony. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity of attending a Ugandan graduation party with my roommate Holly. The party was for a friend of ours—Agnes and her sister. Agnes works as a waitress at Rwenzori Café; a place we frequent for good food and an internet connection. It is through our many visits there that we have gotten to know her.
The party was held at her home. The invitation said that the party began at 2pm, so naturally Holly and I planned to arrive by 3 or 3:30pm. As we drew near, her house was readily recognizable. Big tents and tons of chairs were set up in the yard in front of the house. Lots of people were sitting down but there were still plenty of empty seats available for guests yet to arrive.
After parking, Holly and I were immediately surrounded by some of Agnes’ relatives and greeted warmly. Being the only two mzungus (aka white people) at the gathering, we wanted to slip into the back somewhere to sit, but they would have none of it. Instead they led us in front of the crowd to some empty seats. (It’s not like we don’t stand out already!)
The event began with a priest leading a special service on behalf of Agnes and her sister. During the service, a special offering was taken for Agnes and her sister. They both stood up front holding baskets, and anyone who wanted to give them something came up front and put it in their baskets.
After the service was finished, the emcee and deejay took over. Agnes, her sister, and their two attendants took their places at the head table. Then the greetings, introductions, and speeches began. Everyone was speaking Luganda, so Holly and I were pretty much in the dark about what they were saying. A little ways into things, however, one of the speakers switched to English, saying, “And we want to especially welcome our two sisters of a different color. As you can see, not many of them come to these gatherings, so they must be good friends to join us today…” Of course every eye was on us at that point ☺.
Agnes then sent a friend of hers to come get us and take us to sit up front! We had seats located right behind the main table. At first I thought it would make us more conspicuous, but it ended up being nicer, a little out of the way.
All the important people in Agnes and her sister’s lives gave some kind of speech: her mom, grandmother, aunts, uncles, sisters, friends, etc. Music was played during every transition. When it was time to give them graduation gifts, the line of people stretched long and the pile of presents grew to a huge mound. One of my favorite parts to this was that there was a bubble machine blowing bubbles over the crowd ☺. A meal was served, and it was quite a feast; with several different types of meat, vegetables, rice, fruit, matooke, and more. It was enough to serve the 80-100 people who were there to celebrate. After the meal there were more speeches. Agnes and her sister spoke. Holly and I were invited to speak as well.
The formal aspects of the celebration lasted for several hours. Holly and I had to leave at around 8pm. By this time it was dark, lights were lit, and the dancing was just beginning. I’m sure the party lasted late into the night. I’m glad I got the chance to participate in this part of Ugandan culture.
