Omangela is a small village in the far northern part of Namibia, Omangela Village located on the south-west side of Ongwediva. The village is found in the northern part of Namibia, on the north-east side of Onamutai semi town. Omangela is about +-5 km from Ongwediva. The village is in the Ongwediva constituency near Onamutai. This village is a developing village with the population of less than 10 000 thousand people.Omangela is situated in the Oshana Region and is home to a wide variety of people, “vambo speaking”.There are many rural villages and schools surrounding Omangela including, Onamutai sss, Onamutai cs, ondjadjaxwi cs, omupanda cs.
weddings in Omangela village
editjust like the other The traditional Ovambo wedding it takes 3 days: one day preparation, one day celebrating at the bride's homestead and one day celebrating at the groom's homestead. Omangela residents helps each others and enjoy any wedding as a familly, no discrimination so any body is fully wellcomed to the wedding even if you are not invited.
on the preparation day
editOn the day of preparation (called Omaingido ) there will be a white flag which indicates that there is a wedding coming up lifted high at the gate of both the bride and groom’s homestead.The groom's family has to give the bride a wedding dress and everything that belongs to it from head to toe. They sing songs to earn the good will of the bride's family while the other people shout ( called eexungi in oshiwambo). They have to sing and convince the family to give their daughter to the groom .This usually takes place the night before the wedding day at the bride’s homestead.August and December are the most wedding seasonsin Namibia.
bride's homestead
editThe next morning people start early to prepare the food while the bride get ready to go to church accompanied by her mother and Father next to her. They have to first eat traditional food (porridge with Evanda) .The bride meets the groom the first time (during the wedding) in front of the church. In the church they get married and Blessings from the pastor .After church they go back to the bride’s homestead but stops 1 or 2 kilometers before in the bush. Traditionally they have to walk to their home. As they are walking people will keep on jumping, dancing, ululating and singing songs.
After couple reaches home, soon the ceremony of praying, thanking and giving presents will start. Everyone if friend or not, if invited or not will come to a wedding, so it is necessary to divide the guest as it can easily be a few hundreds you did not invite. The invited guests enjoy nice food and drinks in the tent while the other get cheaper food and drinks outside in another tent. The first food the groom and the bride enjoy together is traditionally mahangu (staple food) and Ovambo chicken.
groom's homestead
editThe next day people get ready to accompany the couple to the groom's homestead and family. The father gives a farewell goodbye to his daughter at the gate of his homestead. From there on she will be just back at her father’s homestead as a guest. Her new home for the rest of her life will be the homestead of her groom.
References
edit1.Ongwediva.ongwediva.ritrieved october 03 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ongwediva
2.Lenhnart. S (2007).Traditional Ovambo Wedding. Retrieved October 04 2012 from http://www.solarnet.tv/forum/index.php?topic=19607.0
3.Carina.S (2009).Mel & Lennis Namibian Wedding. Retrieved October 04 2012 from http://www.solarnet.tv/user/Cari/blog/166
4.onamutai community pag.retrieved october 03 2012 from http://www.facebook.com/pages/Onamutai-Community-Page/123579824372242?
5.Emily. U (2009).wedding season. retrieved October 03 2012 from http://emilyuchytil.com/blog/?p=56