Early 1980s, there used to be those village weddings which were publicized barely a week before the day. Small pieces of papers were hard written to invite people and as well to bestow different duties to different people on the occasion day. There were no pre-weddings and people stood for their own cost of ARUSI. As children, we could easily indentify when a wedding is in the village by seeing maize being distributed to young ladies in the village of the groom to assist in the act of making the famous Muthokoi (Muthikore) by use of mortar and pestle. On the Material day, you could see ladies fetching water and taking it to the groom’s home, others with firewood, bottles of milk, ground porridge, raw bananas, big sufurias etc. For you info, there was a common diet on such an occasion. Muthokoi could be mixed with peas or beans and boiled, later fried with cabbage and carrots without forgetting the famous carry powder which used to give the food a yellowish color and a sweet flavor with lovable smell. Bananas could be mashed with potatoes where a sufuria of 50 Liters could be filled with bananas with only 12 or 13 potatoes and half kg of Matumbo. At the bride’s home, there was no much cooking as the business was just to go in the evening, pick the bride and then come for banquet at the groom’s home. While on the way, the song was Jesu I Jesu……..Tharima Muiki.i.Jesu… Na muikanithia… Jesu.. Until they reach at the gate of the grooms home whereby family Members could be called in turn to welcome the bride by giving something small, Which I believe was a kind of corruption. This is simply because Love is just like an account’s balance sheet. The assets side and liabilities side must balance automatically without any external interference. Pumping gifts to someone so that they can love you is tantamount to forgery which is subject to cheating in marriage. Okay. To be short, Children were seen as blessing in such an occasion, as the couple obviously would anticipate to having children; so their noise and damages was seen as a blessing and they were always more than invited. As children we always knew that apart from Rice (Muthikore) and Soup Very Plenty (RSVP), Sweets were our major purpose of presence. Dry banana leaves served as chairs to the populace while food was served on green banana leaves. There was no exchange of vows or may be it followed the following day which we never attended. Yea! This is what happened during the ARUSI of one couple of Kibiritine. The young man (Name withheld) Could simply be described as the village pride (Lambu e Ntuura) because of his body structure cleanliness hardworking and respect to everyone. As well, the lady could simply be described as the king’s choice (Syindu sya Mutongoi) kana “Tuluui twa gwitaira”. Wahenga walisema “Uzuri wa Mkakazi, Ndani kipande cha mti”. We attended ate, drunk and left as usual for the ants to fell the fence. Wololo! After some years, which I cannot account for, as I never knew how to read so as to account for years, the quarrels started in the house and they could fight as often as five times a week. The lady could be heard shouting with a very loud and sharp soprano “You will know I am cut” Meaning that her hubby will know that she had tasted the Cecebei (Razor blade). Whenever people approached to counsel them, the woman fabricated lies to accuse her hubby, saying that he is always drunk and likes beating her. The man got more bored and decided to seek advice from his age mates vis-à-vis the cold befalling his matrimonial bed. When the lady knew that her hubby is up for a plan B, She took some cash and went to the gods of “Nkaria-mwiku” for the so-called “Stay with men chums” famously known as “KAGWIRIA”. She paid and the medicine was properly prescribed to her. She went home and never missed a single step in administering it to her healthy PATIENT (Hubby). The man started losing memory and crushing to an extent of forgetting to dress and fearing his own family members… Sema Kuchizi!!!... The lady was happy and her hubby’s goodies became public property or dirt board where the hyena type of men could go and try their arrows before the real hunting. (Bororo e Ntuura kana Kiraa kia Thibaru). She was overheard one day saying that the rat had managed to put a bell on the cat’s neck. The man deteriorated in mind and health and one day he committed suicide by hanging himself on a mango tree be hide their main house. The Woman was comfortable with that as he had several of her choice. On the burial of MAN, the witchdoctor came to the burial and asked the MC to be given a chance to say a word. He said like this “ This Mzee was as good as all of you here are. He has not died from illness or age. It’s the cat that has been put the bell so that the rat can rule the jungle” the burial continued after all was done, everyone went back to their homes with coiled tails including those who were slithering for the goodies after the man run mad. Until today, not even a village wag can say hi to this angel of the devil in the entire Kibiritine village and its surrounding. She moves around the village telling young ladies that she ate her own intestines and therefore they should not be like her, in turn they should take care of their own houses.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 13:18:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015