Moriah - Ole Time Wedding
The re-enactment of the Old Time Wedding takes place at the old Moravian Church in Moriah. The occasion is indeed a grand one, especially so because the finery of the wedding party is displayed. Wedding processions often attract "mauvais langue" (French for bad tongue) On-lookers who feel free to pass malicious remarks about the character of the bride and / or groom to create confusion on this very important day. The village maccos also join the procession. These are persons who were not invited but who came to look on and gossip. In a traditional Tobago Wedding, you are most likely to find colourfully dressed guests and several traditional items, each of which has a symbolic meaning:
After the village church's ceremony, the wedding procession winds its way along the streets, dancing the "brush back" to the sweet sounds of the tambrin and fiddle. The entire procession dances their way over to the venue for the cake and wine. A popular dance step for the procession is the brushback, other steps such as the jig and reel may often be danced. |
Dancing the 'brush back'
Every good wedding deserves a feast, but Tobago does their wedding feast in the grand style of the old days. Every imaginable dish is prepared in vast quantities for the specially invited guests, who can number 500 or more. The accepted norm is the larger the wedding the better it is, from a social status point that is. The feast is usually the time when all of the speeches are made by the best man, father of the bride, the groom, some feast event open the floor to the invited guests to add their two cents to the praises being heaped on the couple. This can often lead to a bit of trouble since everyone wants to have their say. |