Zulu Wedding Essay

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The Zulu people are a tribe in South Africa that form part of the greater Nguni speaking people. The brunt of their number is situated in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province of South Africa on its Eastern Coast. The Zulu people are known for their famous history fighting oppression and exploitation by the European settlers and most notably the many triumphs of the Zulu Army led by the famous King Shaka in the early 1800’s. However, now what sets them apart from most cultures is their unique marriage and wedding practices. The Zulu are known for their colourful and festive wedding celebrations. In this section, these practices will be looked into to gain understanding and identify the unique traits and practices and to also hopefully identify the significance …show more content…

A traditional Thai engagement ceremony is called thong mun. In thong mun, a prospective groom gifts gold to his fiancée, with parents, friends, and relatives in attendance. Instead of a diamond ring, Thais usually give gold jewellery for thong mun, made of 96% pure gold made in Thailand in an amount that’s always an odd number” (Schriever, 2015: < www.beachrepublic.com >). A feature that is similar to that of the Zulu culture mentioned previously is that of concept of lobola or as the Thai people call it the son sod, the Thai version of the dowry (Schriever, 2015: < www.beachrepublic.com >). Buddhist monks are usually invited to attend and come in odd numbers, as odd numbers are considered lucky in Thailand, they normally arrive in numbers of 3, 5, 7 or 9 but never more than 9 (Schriever, 2015: < www.beachrepublic.com >). Schriever (2015), writes “[t]he main event of the wedding ceremony is held in the afternoon, called rod nam sang in Thai. With the most senior or respected member of the clan officiating, a chain of flowers is affixed to join the bride and groom’s hands as they are held up in wai, the Thai symbol of respect” (Schriever, 2015: < www.beachrepublic.com

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