My husband (a word still relatively foreign to me) and I recently got married in not one, but two amazing celebrations. After 3 years dating, 9 months of engagements, countless hours of planning we are now husband and wife…or husband and makoti! Each wedding, both special and unique, served to bring not only us together, but also our families and cultures (Xhosa and English) – both recognized and honoured.
I not only got a new surname
through these unions, but also a new first name – Am’thabele, meaning “joyously welcomed” in Sotho. Why Sotho you might ask when my husband is Xhosa? It’s a good question that many asked when it was given but no one has the answer to. His late aunt, a lovely lady that I only had the privilege to meet only once a few months into our relationship, decided on meeting me that this was to be my name (not if, but) when, we were to marry! I both love and admire the confidence she had in us! She passed the name on to my now mother-in-law who kept it to her self until our traditional wedding – almost 2 years after her sisters passing. What a special sight it was seeing her daughters hear her name for me all that time later. So Sotho or Xhosa I embrace my new name with joy and pride, remembering its’ meaning and significance in our union.
The Blonde Makoti 