Saturday, April 19, 2014

A Special Event on this Sacred Weekend

Hello friends,

It is a special weekend for Christendom when we mark the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, otherwise known as Easter by most people.

The month of April was actually set aside to worship the Anglo Saxon goddess, Eastre, the goddess of birth and fertility. Eastre was symbolized by the rabbit.  Eggs and rabbits symbolize birth and fertility in many cultures but I am not sure how the eggs and rabbits came together to be associated with Easter since rabbits do not lay eggs.

Emperor Constantine gave the edict of the Easter rule in 325 AD whereby Easter had to be celebrated on a Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th.

These days many Christians celebrate Resurrection Sunday rather than the early pagan worship of the goddess Eastre.

This is a special time for me when I remember the sacrifice that God and his son Jesus gave for all mankind that we might have the gift of eternal life.

This year, the holiday weekend has an added significance for me.


A young Kenyan man I call my little brother has become a married man. His name is Enoch and his betrothed's name is Angela.  They are both members of the Kalenjin tribe and come from Bomet, Kenya.

(The red symbol "B" shows the location of Bomet in relation to the city of Nairobi at "A". If you travel north and slightly west of Bomet you will get to Kericho. Travel even farther north and slightly west of the Kerio Valley National Park and you will see the location of Eldoret, site of the huge prayer meeting over the weekend).

The wedding was held in Bomet, Kenya.  My friend Jonah had a difficult time getting there on time as it seems he had to compete for public transportation with those heading to Prophet David Owuor's prayer meeting in Eldoret, Kenya.  Matatus (mini-vans which transport the public for a small fee) were in short supply on Good Friday, the day of travel.  Over 500 buses and many matatus were in demand to transport the countless people from all over Kenya and neighbouring countries who flocked to the town of Eldoret to participate in the prayer meeting.

You can see how muddy the village roads are. It has been raining a lot and it is difficult to drive through this mud in the village.
In the end, Jonah made it to the wedding and I was able to get photos of the special day. I'm sharing a few of them here so you can see what it is like to have a wedding in the village.  I am always amazed at how people in general, and women in particular, walk through the mud all dressed up and with heels on and yet they don't seem to get dirty!

Here is the happy couple. I wish them a long and blessed union.

I want to thank those of you who read and commented on my Elvis post. I am still praying for financial supporters who can help make his final term at university a reality.  Time is short. If you can help, please let me know. You can read more at the GoFundMe post at the right of this blog.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

9 comments:

Terra said...

What a beautiful couple and joyful wedding scenes. May their marriage be richly blessed by our Heavenly Father.

Kay L. Davies said...

How wonderful that you have photos of the wedding. I love the flowers on the bride's shoulder.
I hope you are well. I'm sorry I haven't visited your blog lately.
Wishing you good health and a happy Easter Sunday.
Luv, K

jabbott said...

Yes the traditions of Easter are very Interesting, the real meaning is very important.Your friends wedding looks lovely, hope they have a long life together Hope you are having a lovely Easter Sunday x

Joanne Noragon said...

A beautiful wedding and a joyful gathering. wish them a blessed marriage.

Ceil said...

Hi Joyful! May God bless you abundantly on this day of Resurrection! And what a joy it must be for your to see these photos. Thank you for sharing them! This couple looks so filled with joy...the joy we should all feel this wondrous day.
Alleluia!
Ceil

clairz said...

Penny, what a wonderful and informative post! Happy Easter to you.

Denise said...

So precious.

Fashion Lover said...

Sweet pictures!! This is a beautiful story!!

XOXO!

Joy said...

What an interesting and 'Joyful' post, Joyful - and what a delightful couple; I wish them a lifetime of love and blessings together!
On the subject of eggs and rabbits - aren't the eggs meant to represent the rolling away of the stone . . . . . and certainly nothing breeds quite like rabbits . . . . . over the years the facts and stories may have become a little distorted here and there but remembering the main reason for our celebration is what matters, for sure, and being thankful for the life given for ours. How blessed we are! Thank you! xo Joy

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