Wedding Ceremonies

I always find these sorts of things fun... (and a new drawing of the addax!) Each tribe has their own ceremony! Some more relaxing than others. Personally I like the Crocodile's no nonsense version.

WEDDING CEREMONIES______________________________________________________

FALCONS

• Large ceremonies.
• The families of both bride and groom are there, even their extended families and friends.
• The bride wears a white dress.
• Everyone dresses in formal clothes.
• A huge feast and music.
• Bride and groom put on wedding bands
• Weddings are held in churches

CROWS

• Large ceremonies
• Families, friends and entire communities show up.
• Less structured than Falcon weddings.
• The ceremony itself is brief and affectionate but the festivities afterward last all day
• Decorations, loud music and wild dancing
• A fortune teller privately tells them their combined fortune

CROCODILES

• Very private
• They make vows to each other to pledge their loyalty
• Their weddings are more about loyalty and fidelity than love
• Usually there are only one or two witnesses and the vows are said at a shrine
• No jewelry or items are exchanged

FIREFLIES

• Small ceremonies
• Always held at night under clear skies
• They exchange rings with moonstones in them
• Everyone wears white
• A small feast is had and a celebration continues until sunrise
• The bride and groom each wears a feather from the other’s wing

BUFFALO

• Huge noisy ceremonies with feasts
• Solid gold wedding bands are exchanged with their names engraved
• The ceremonies are held either outside or if the person is important enough, in the castle’s feast hall
• The ceremony is held on a raised platform while the guests are all seated and feasting.
• No special dress is required but the bride and groom wear their finest furs and accessories.
• Games and sports are played afterward

ADDAX

• Private ceremony
• The couple to be wed have their wrists tied together with a long red rope.
• Then they are sent out into the desert together to perform tasks
• They must hunt and kill a cougar.
• Survive a night with limited supplies
• And find water, fill a special vase with it, and carry the water filled vase back home
• All of this must be done while keeping their wrists tied together.
• Once these tasks are completed, they are declared wedded and the rope is removed

MOUSE

• Large ceremony, but informal
• The bride and groom make each other bracelets
• On their wedding day, they swap bracelets and dance together
• The more beautiful and intricate the bracelet, the more impressive.
• You want others to be admiring and jealous of your wedding bracelet!
• The ceremony itself is lighthearted and informal, and there is lots of dancing
• Giving out gift baskets to guests is popular - typically jewelry, fruit or fabrics
• Everyone dresses in bright colors and there are lots of flowers.

JACKAL

• Small ceremonies with only family and very close friends
• The ceremony is held at one of the mountain temples.
• A priest of the temple performs the rights
• They leave a feast for the Jackal goddess at the temple to appease her.
• The bride and groom both dress in red fabrics with veils
• After the ceremony the veils are removed and they return from the mountain to celebrate

LIONS

• The size of the ceremony depends on the size of the community where they live.
• The ceremony takes place at night
• The family / friends / community members all sit in a large circle.
• The bride and groom are in the center. The groom sits in the very center while the bride performs a dance for him. (a traditional dance she would have been practicing)
• If she impresses the groom, he gives her a weapon he would have made from scratch
• If the weapon impresses the bride in return, they are wed.
• The bride and groom are not allowed to see each other for a week before the ceremony
• The bride and groom then sleep in a tent erected in the center of the circle and the festivities continue around them.

TIGERS

• A small ceremony attended by family
• The bride and goom dress formally
• They say their vows solemnly and then receive matching tattoos which they would have chosen ahead of time.
• Afterward, a traditional feast is had which friends can attend also.

PANTHERS

• A small / medium sized ceremony
• Based on the myth of the Lion and Panther god’s union.
• The bride and groom want to find some wonder (big or small) to share with each other during the ceremony.
• (It can be like a butterfly hatching from a chrysalis or a newfound piece of knowledge)
• They dress in their finest coats with detailed embroidery. There are designs specifically used for weddings.
• Ceremonies are held high up in the tree tops.

MIXED

• For mixed couples, the wedding ceremony they perform depends on each couple.
• They might pick the ceremony they simply like best
• Or one of them might be more attached to the tradition of their people than the other
• Or they may do both ceremonies.