Chuukese Wedding

On my first Saturday here I went to a wedding, Chuukese style. The wedding was on the neighboring island of Parem and I was very excited because my fellow volunteer Julie was just placed there. We dressed moderately nice and walked down to the shore to take the boat over to Parem. I was wearing zip off lightweight pants, a Hawaiian shirt and sandals…. I was one of the best-dressed people at the wedding. T-shirts and shorts were the norm. As we got down to the boat, I noticed that there were a lot of people but only one boat. The maximum capacity for these small motorboats is 7 people. We piled 18 people into this boat! We squeezed together and bounced our way along the waves to Parem.

The wedding was in a nice little church that was next to a sandy beach on the shore. The predominant religion in these parts is Catholicism, so the wedding was performed as a Catholic mass. They went through a rather traditional American ceremony with a few Chuukese quirks. The bride was wearing a nice white dress with a veil and everything. The groom was also in black suit, but was wearing some old Nikes. There were no bridesmaids or groomsman. During the ceremony, I took the time to do some people watching and observe the wedding party. There were dozens of small children and babies wandering around (some of them partly naked). There was a dirty dog sitting docilely along the isle. I saw multiple women whip out their boobs and begin to breastfeed their crying babies. And as I mentioned before, the attire was not exquisite. As the couple was pronounced man and wife, the groom lifted the veil from his new bride and consummated the marriage by shaking her hand. Public affection is taboo and kissing in public would be shocking, so a hearty hand shake seals the deal.

During the reception, we were all served gigantic plates of food. It is customary at Chuukese social events to bring way too much food. The size of the plate is determined by your status and some of the single plates were enough to feed a dozen people. The humungous plates are given with the intention that most of it will be taken home as leftovers. My family brought two large boxes full of plates for the party, and went home with the boxes filled with other people’s leftovers. Food is very important to the culture here and its abundance is a status symbol. The reception was similar to American style in that the important people sat a big table in front and the rest of the attendees were scattered around in a large room (but of course everyone was sitting on the floor).

Then the speeches began. Speeches in Chuuk are in a whole other ballpark and put our modest toasts to shame. Every speech giver has to thank every important person that attended the event. Just the beginning thank you’s can sometimes take a few minutes. After the thank you’s, then they say hello and go into the meat of their speech. I have no idea what anybody was saying, but they were saying a lot. Each person spoke for about 10 or 15 minutes and about 9 or 10 people stood up to speak. Apparently, these extended speeches happen at every party, meeting, funeral, and social gathering; so I have plenty to look forward to. The bride and groom both had their heads laid down on their hands and didn’t look the least bit interest. In fact, I don’t think I saw either of them smile during the entire event. Other people were laughing and joyous, but the couple seemed to be somber and serious. During the meal, a hungry pig came snorting his way into the crowds and was promptly guided back out….only in Micronesia.