The Rwandan tradition called Umuganda happens once a month and is socially required for all families to participate. On the last Saturday of every month, everyone is required to come together to do community service in their village. Each village is like a neighborhood. Some examples of community service include gardening, building fences, constructing roads and negotiating or disputing issues throughout the community. This is a time for the community to come together to resolve issues and village struggles. This gives a sense of solidarity and unity among the entire country as everyone is working to improve their individual neighborhoods.
Another tradition happens when two people get married. It consists of two families deciding on what payment the male’s family will give to the females’ family. In Rwandan culture, it is a huge compliment if you give someone a cow or a goat. This means that the giver really wants to have a lasting friendship and considers the other as family. So for the wedding, both families will negotiate how many cows or goats will be given to the female’s family. The wedding actually takes place over two weekends.
