BAR MITZVAH (AbayudayAmerican style)

I am fairly certain I will never attend another Bar Mitzvah quite like this one.
Huge bags of rice and many kilos of metoke had been in preparation since yesterday, and the cooking began at 6:30 AM this morning.  At 8, I headed over to the Rabbi's to help his wife Tzipporah make 2 of her unique challahs, and she already had one bowl of dough rising when I got there, and gave me another to do.  The Hill was abuzz, a tent set up by the synagogue, filled with chairs.  The bimah had been moved outside.  Huge speakers had been set up, extension cords coming from every which way to make the proper connections.  So far, not sooo different from your average American affair (though I can guarantee the equipment was probably a little less fancy, and the price tag significantly lower).

The service began at 10 AM.   It was punctuated by Lugandan psalms led by J.J. and accompanied by the guitar of J.J.'s son, Maccabee.  (I got some great video footage and photos of a bunch of them--if anyone's interested let me know when I return to a stable internet connection!)  When the Torah was brought out and returned, there was a festive procession to the synagogue's Ark.  With the somewhat untraditional service, the classic hallmarks of the American bar mitzvah still found their place, in an amusing melding of cultural traditions: The bar mitzvah boy (an American, for those who haven't been following) read the weekday portion, after which both he and his parents spoke and the service concluded.  Then, after water was passed around for washing, Tzipporah and I brought out the two challahs, which the parents cut and which we passed out to the 200+ assembled--the pieces were a bit small.  But it was, happily, just as delicious as Friday's!
Following the challah, the gargantuan pots of food were brought out, and all present were served--those included members of the community, school children and others from the area who had heard about the festivities and come for some merry making and a good meal. (Somewhat awkwardly, those staying at the guest house had separate food set up, but I believe the extras were also distributed to guests.) As the music blared from the speakers, people conversed and ate, and when the food was defeated (it took about 20 minutes for it to go), the tent and chairs were moved and a "dance floor" cleared for what was to be the bulk of the day's celebration.  From about noon until 7 the music did not cease, and many people (mostly kids) remained dancing, with few breaks for the entirety of the afternoon and evening.  If you've traveled to Sub-Saharan Africa, this may go without saying, but Ugandans (and others, judging by the other African nations represented today) far outstrip their American peers in the dancing arena.  I had several girls showing me movements and telling me "they're easy"--and I could not even begin to replicate them. When they asked me to demonstrate a move, I mostly flapped my arms around and made goofy faces.  I'd give myself an A for originality, and around a D for skill.
Needless to say, it was not quite like the Western affairs I was used to, despite the sprinkling of American tradition.  The two schools on Nabugoye Hill--a government primary and SK secondary--both cancelled school.  A village+  took off from work and school to celebrate and boogie for 7 hours.  And in lieu of Bar Mitzvah gifts, a boy from Florida requested donations to a Ugandan clinic, and came to its founders to celebrate this milestone.
Atypical, I would say.