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Tafadzwa Zimoyo Lifestyle Writer
Fortune favours the brave, at least when it comes to holding November weddings in Zimbabwe.

There is a moratorium imposed on any Shona rituals and rites for the month and thus most couples will not hold weddings in November.

Feeling the pinch, wedding service providers say they annually take prices down in order to entice the little custom going around at the time. Others say that they just take a break and gird their loins for the hectic round of December weddings and parties, which seem to occur every day.

“For us business is very low although some whites and those who are not bound by the superstitions might still book wedding venues. We don’t check what happens to them after that, but our venues, wedding accessories and garments will be cheaper,” said Veling Vera from Pinewood Gardens.

Jane Rushinga of Jane’s Weddings says that November can go by without a single booking although she normally handles an average of seven weddings each month with numbers tripling in December.

“Everything is at a discount. If we were manufacturers we would be at 10 percent capacity for the month. If you are lucky you pick some parties to help you make ends meet. But it happens every year so we have learnt to plan for it. I give most of my staff leave in this month and expect them to put in a lot of overtime for December.”

The chain of related businesses that are affected goes beyond costumiers and wedding planners according to an events manager.

“The sound people, your camera persons, choreographers and even the venue owners all feel the pinch. Somehow it is not only weddings only that do not happen. It is like someone has flipped the switch and even parties are scarce,” said Marshal Mukwete whose event management business clientele list includes corporates and individuals.

“January disease hits in November,” said one joint owner on condition of anonymity.

“I wish if the month of November should never exist on the calendar because it brings bad luck. Most shows flop in this month and it is very difficult for us to manage the business,” he said.

A couple who will exchange vows this weekend said November has worked for them as they will have a wedding that they could not otherwise afford.

“We started planning our wedding in January and we were set on December. But when it came to time to book the venue in July we found that all the weekends for December were already taken. Then they half-heartedly offered us a November date at a discount.

We negotiated further and got almost 50 percent off.

“We then went around to all the other people and realised that they were happy to have any business in November. Another thing is that it has helped us to keep our guest list at manageable levels as some people have indicated that they would not be comfortable attending a November wedding. So that way we have a few people but no one is offended because we invited them all,” said the groom.

In spite of a Christian renaissance in the country with most people finding religion under one prophet or another in addition to the traditional churches, the ties of tradition appear to be very strong and very few dare to tempt fate by inviting curses on their marriage by wedding in November.

It is one of those months which is associated with loads of all those dark myths, beliefs and conceptions to the extent that some occasions are deferred until this month passes.

The Bible does not have a single verse where it states that November should be such a black month full of curses.

Rather, it says, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

Pastor Makumbe Morris from a pentecostal church last week said the reason why people don’t do activities in November is because they believe that the ancestors will be resting.

“Growing up we were told that the month of November in Shona is called ‘mwedzi we benzi or mbudzi’ because it should be generally respected. Why is it that those who want to get married or wed or any activities use the goat why not sheep or cow because goat is a sacred animal. If you do anything it won’t come to pass hence you act like a fool,” he said.

Still, with man’s beliefs regarding this month, rites like memorial services, marriages and weddings among others, this is not the time to do it.

“Ukazviita nguva ino unenge wairasa. Takangokura zviriko saka vakazviona kare vakange vaona zvazvinoreva (If you do all those important things during this time you are courting problems for yourself. Our elders should have experienced it long before for them to regard this month as cursed,” added Thomson.

“I grew up hearing from our elders that certain rites that are important in life are not held in November. There are some curses that are associated with this month and I for one thought this was not real until I experienced the curses after having defied the beliefs that are associated with November,” said Thomas Phiri of Southerton, Harare.

There are some other people who even testify that relationships were affected after they conducted their marriages during this month because they thought that November was just like any other month.

“I regarded November just like any month and never believed in the notion of it as a cursed month until I started experiencing challenges in my marriage because I married in November. Believe it or not, but truth is that November is not your ordinary month to do things like weddings or paying lobola,” Mairos Thomson said. However, it will be brisk business for venue owners, especially those who hire out their places for musical shows. Why the month of November is cursed remains a mystery but the fact remains that this is the month that most people rue, and look at with eyes askance.

Even in the Western world, the notion that surrounds the bleak view associated with November is even as strong as in the African set-up. It has even spilled over into the world of sport, as is evidenced by one story which appeared on theclockend.com titled ‘The Arsenal November Curse Strikes Again’.

“The Arsenal November Curse is a phenomenon well-known amongst Arsenal fans. London’s gloomy November weather descends upon the Emirates Stadium accompanied by an unrelenting spell of terrible form for the Gunners. And like a lingering November cough, we just can’t seem to shake it off.”

Even Halloween is commemorated in November (late October-mid November).

“The origin of Halloween as we know, began over 1900 years ago in the area of England, Ireland, and Northern France. It was a celtic celebration of the new year, called Samhain which occurred on November 1. The celtic druids revered it as the biggest holiday of the year and emphasised that day as the time when the souls of the dead supposedly could mingle with the living. Bonfires were a large aspect of this holiday as well.” —(Bibleinfo.com)