Aug 5 , 2023
By Kidist Yidnekachew
I heard of a bizarre wedding story that happened a few weeks ago where the groom's brother took his own life and was found in the morning. It was a horrific incident but I was intrigued by the fact that the family decided to go ahead with the wedding ceremony.
In the culture I grew up in, when someone dies, the deceased's family typically wears black for nearly a month. The television is turned off and covered with a cloth. The grief expression takes another turn in particular areas, where family members shave their heads.
It is a dilemma I hope I never have to go through. I believe I would be devastated and opt to neglect the celebration and grief instead. But this family saw through with the wedding.
I wonder what was going through the mind of both the deceased and the living.
Perhaps the man who committed suicide did it on his brother's wedding day as a message to the family. After all, it is easier to move on in times of anticipated demise but people tend to blame themselves after such tragedy, wondering if they could have done something to prevent it.
Moving on after a loss is never easy. It takes time to grieve and heal. Some people may feel guilty for moving on as if they are betraying their loved one's memory.
It is important to remember that everyone has their own way of dealing with grief and moving on is not a betrayal. It is simply a way of accepting that someone is gone and learning to live without them.
And it must have been a hard choice for the parents between the new beginning for one of their children and the end of life for the other.
It feels like they are the type of people who put on a brave face even when they are hurting inside. The fact that they proceeded with the wedding speaks to their strength. I imagine them as a tree, stripped bare by the storm but standing strong regardless.
Perhaps denial prevailed and the family might have chosen to deal with their feelings later. Wedding cancellations are rarely simple with so much at stake; all the money spent on the ceremony and guests prepared to attend the happy day.
But why not celebrate life instead of mourning death?
Despite the thought of death being treacherous, it is a reality that we all must face. It is like the beginning of life when we are scared to leave the womb, the only place we have ever known, and then realise that life goes on and gets better.
Similarly, death is simply the beginning of a new life.
I find comfort in the thought that there is something more to life than this. I believe that our souls will continue to exist and maybe good deeds in this life help us secure enough points in the afterlife.
I like to think that the wedding ceremony was a tribute to the deceased, where the end of one journey was celebrated paying tribute and anticipating a new beginning.
PUBLISHED ON
Aug 05,2023 [ VOL
24 , NO
1214]
Fortune News | Jun 15,2019
Fortune News | Dec 28,2019
Digital First | Mar 17,2020
Radar | Sep 14,2019
Radar | Dec 29,2018
Photo Gallery | 82883 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 75035 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fineline | 58615 Views | Oct 03,2020
Fortune News | 58400 Views | Jul 18,2020
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Dec 2 , 2023
The symphony of traffic noise in Addis Abeba is not just a sign of life, but a siren...
Nov 25 , 2023
Ethiopia's quest to develop a functioning capital market is a demanding yet not unach...
Nov 18 , 2023
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) has made a fervent call for landlocked Ethiopia to ga...
Nov 11 , 2023
In November last year, a ray of hope pierced the gloomy skies of Ethiopia as the Pret...
Dec 2 , 2023 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
Mamo Mihretu, the governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), has outlined a com...
Dec 2 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
BGI Ethiopia, one of the largest brewing companies, is in the throes of a major trans...
Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amentie (PhD), is leading a charge to overhaul the fer...
Dec 2 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
Amidst accession to a cross-regional trade, one of the oldest industries is strugglin...
Loading your updates...