In one weekend! Major integration bonus points for me--Between the two, I saw all my fellow teachers and the chief (a young guy I met a few days ago that recently took over the position when his father passed away). I didn't know either bride or groom, but that doesn't matter here. Wedding crashing is just not a thing. The whole village is welcome to attend if they want, and I'm sure in a smaller town, the whole village would.
Actually I just went to the receptions, not the ceremonies. Although, the ceremonies probably would have been more interesting, since one was Christian and the other Muslim. The receptions, however, were essentially the same: The bride in her big, white, western dress, seated next to her husband on a love-seat facing the crowd, and looking perfectly serious. The MC and DJ taking turns running the show, while members of the wedding party, and sometimes the bride and/or groom, stand on the dance floor with a tray for collecting money. The guests come up a few at a time and dance, with the dancing focused on throwing small bills into the tray. 1000 Malawian Kwacha is worth about $3, so you can throw a lot of K20 bills in the pot without going broke. I'm not sure how long this goes on, but on both days it was going on when I got there, and still going when I left a few hours later.
This long school break, being post harvest and pre-planting season, is jam packed with all sorts of celebrations. At night, I fall asleep listening to the drums and shouting and singing of initiation ceremonies. Party all the time!
