Columban Fr John McEvoy writes about a wedding that the couple were determined to go ahead with, despite the COVID restrictions, because the date was so significant to them.
Jonathan and Hilda on their wedding day. Photo: Fr John McEvoy SSC
Their wedding had to be on June 6! Jonathan Kunau and Hilda Vukikomoala had planned their wedding a year in advance. Both of them came from big families, so they wanted a big celebration with all their family members and friends. More than two hundred guests had been invited and they had booked a hotel in Suva for June 6, 2020.
June 6 was an important date for this couple. They first met when they were high school students at the Marist Brothers and St Joseph's Secondary School. A Marist Brothers school function to mark the feast day of St Marcellin on June 6, 2012 brought them together. They were engaged on June 6, 2019 and they planned to celebrate their wedding on June 6, 2020. But in March 2020, COVID-19 struck not only in Fiji but all over the world and lockdown began. The churches were closed for public worship and only 20 people were allowed to attend funerals and weddings.
Jonathan and Hilda were determined to go ahead with their wedding on June 6, 2020 despite the pandemic. They considered holding it in the church with the permitted number of 20 people but instead decided to hold it in their home. This meant they had only one place to decorate.
In recent times our Archbishop hasn't been too worried about where couples have their weddings, especially when so many tourists come to Fiji to marry. He maintains that a wedding can take place in any sacred place and as a great advocate of Laudato Si' and the sacredness of God’s earth, he would not object to a wedding taking place in a home, especially in these times and circumstances. So on June 6, 2020 the members of Jonathan's and Hilda's immediate families gathered and transformed the house into a place of beauty. Jonathan's parents and three of his grandparents were there, as well as Hilda's sister, aunt and uncle and two of her grandparents. The group also of course included the cameraman and the celebrant. But none of Jonathan's siblings were able to be present which was, of course, a big disappointment for them.
The setting was beautiful and homely. The celebration of the wedding Mass was as solemn as any celebrated in a cathedral or church. Jonathan’s mother, Essie, a member of the parish choir, directed those who were willing to sing some hymns.
Groom Jonathan and bride Hilda with Jonathan's mother and father at their wedding. Photo: Fr John McEvoy SSC
When the register was signed and the feasting and drinking got underway, it was easy for the two families to meet, chat and compare notes as to how the lockdown affected them over the previous three months. The priest too had no trouble in getting to know all who were present!
There was yet another reason why Hilda, in particular, wanted to have her wedding at home. The house was owned by her uncle and aunt and in the garden of the house, there were three large coconut trees. It is the custom in some parts of Fiji that when a child is born the umbilical cord is planted with a young coconut tree. This was the case with Hilda. In this garden, her parents had planted her umbilical cord and, later on, those of her sister, Teresa, and her brother, Wayne, each with a young coconut tree, when they were born. So Hilda saw this place and this day to be very special in her life and family. There is also a Fijian belief that this coconut tree custom helps the child to stay on the right track throughout life. As all the photos of the day show, Hilda has certainly grown up to be a most gracious and lovely young lady.
Columban Fr John McEvoy, Columban Leader, Fiji.
Listen to "Why the wedding had to be on June 6!"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - July 2021
