Of course there is the preperation that comes before the wedding. The clothes, the food, the venue...
The mother of the groom is a seamstress and was making the dress for the bride. She spent days handsewing the pearls while we drank Terere in her front yard.
The day before the wedding I went over to her house to witness the pig slaughter. It was an event. First we stood around waiting. Water needed to boiled, rope needed to bought. And then there was movement. The pig was being drug to a post and there was screeching coming from the pig and grunting coming from the 5 women that were trying tie the pig to the fence post. The mother of the groom yelled "mujeres adelantando" as the 18year old girl "clave'ed" or nailed, (which is basically the knife going into the neck and letting the blood drain out)the pig.
The day of the wedding I went back the mother of the groom's house to witness Sopa Paraguaya being made to serve all of the guests. It was prepared in a canoe looking think and mixed by hand until all the cheese, eggs, milk, and oil were thoroughly mixed, and then carried to neighboring tatakua, or brick ovens, to cook.
Around 7:00pm we waited for the bus to come through the community to pick us up and take us to the Church in a community some kilometers away. We boarded the bus with a large portion of the community that didn't have cars and of course the teenage to 20something girls dressed up in their gowns that could be worn to a homecoming dance.
The church was a beautiful church and it was a traditional catholic ceremony with prayers, songs, exchanging of rings and vows, and communion. Instead of a bridal party there are children that assist in carrying the train down the aisle. The parents of the "novios" sit in front during the ceremony.
Afterwards we boarded the bus again. The ride back was full of giggles for myself, my host sister, her friend, and my host mom. There was Paraguayan dust flying around the bus and we sat up high in the back. We were covered from head to toe in red dust. My black top turned brown and my white skirt...well...it is no longer that clean white color it came with.
We arrived at the Bride's home where it was beautifully decorated with tables, chairs, and lights. We waited while friends of the family carried out coca-cola, beer, then sopa paraguaya, then the meal of grilled meat and salads with more Sopa Paraguaya.
Afterwards there was dancing, which for Paraguayans means dancing in lines across from your partner. I danced a little, since for a month the conversation surrounding the wedding was "jajerokyta" or "we are going to dance!" Then I walked with my host family back home where I crashed long after the stroke of midnight!
