A Wedding in Madagascar
I was staying in Madagascar with a family and they invited me to their daughter’s wedding. On the big day, I arrived outside an enormous tent. There was a zebu at the entrance and it looked miserable. Inside the tent, there were beautiful decorations, and over 300 excited relatives and guests were waiting for the bride and groom to arrive. The women wore colourful dresses. The older men wore smart suits but the younger men were less formally dressed. I even saw jeans and T-shirts. Finally, the ceremony began with some very long and sometimes dull speeches. But the crowd listened politely and sometimes they laughed and applauded. Finally, it was dinner and I suddenly realised what the zebu was for. We ate from massive plates of meat. I felt sorry for the zebu, but the meat was the best part of the ceremony! It was delicious!
Vocabulary:
enormous – extremely large in size, amount, or scale, “The new sports stadium is an enormous building that can hold eighty thousand fans.”
zebu – a type of domesticated cattle native to parts of Africa and Asia, known for a large hump on its shoulders and its ability to handle hot climates, “The local farmer used a zebu to pull his cart through the dusty village.”
miserable – very unhappy, uncomfortable, or in a sad and pitiful state, “Sitting outside in the freezing rain made the wet dog look completely miserable.”
formally dressed – wearing elegant, smart, or official clothing suitable for serious traditional events or business occasions, “Everyone at the corporate gala was formally dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns.”
ceremony – a formal public or religious event performed on a special occasion, such as a wedding or graduation, “We gathered in the main auditorium to watch the high school graduation ceremony.”
dull – boring, uninteresting, or lacking excitement and life, “The textbook chapter on taxation was so dull that I struggled to stay awake while reading it.”
applauded – showed strong approval, appreciation, or praise by clapping the hands together, “The audience stood up and applauded enthusiastically at the end of the beautiful theatrical play.”
realised – became fully aware of something as a clear fact; understood a situation suddenly, “As soon as I reached the grocery store checkout line, I realised I had left my wallet at home.”
massive – exceptionally large, heavy, solid, or substantial in size, “The construction crew used a giant crane to lift the massive steel beam into position.”