It was the first time we shot an ethiopian wedding. There were a few traditions that I hadn't seen before, mostly at the reception. After dinner when the open dancing began their guests put money on their foreheads as they danced. I've seen a "money dance" before but not with the money on the bride and groom's foreheads. They also had a very specific style of dance with head and shoulder isolations that I had never seen. Later, after their cake cutting they hugged all of their closest family members. With Indian ceremonies, after the bride and groom cut the cake the family members feed them each a bite which reminded me a little of this. Then, toward the end of the reception they said a goodbye to their family members who sat in chairs. They knelt down and kissed their knees and hugged them goodbye through tears. Finally, they danced some more and were hoisted up on the shoulders of their guests. When they tried to leave, their guests didn't let them go. They held them back to dance some more.
I loved experiencing these traditions and learning a little about their culture. My favorite thing was all of the very lively dancing traditions with family and friends of all ages dancing throughout the night. It was quite a party and a night both they and I will never forget!
