Lasallian Formation and The Bilen Marriage Covenant: A Case for Inculturation

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to enrich the Lasallian formation program in Eritrea by incorporating into it some elements from the Blin marriage tradition. Therefore, Chapter I deals with Lassallian religious formation, the Lasallian charism, Lassallian spirituality and the identity of the De La Salle Christian Brother. The second chapter deals with Blin marriage. It explains who the Blin people are, their concept of marriage, the way they intermarry, and how they handle engagement and marriage. The third chapter deals with how the elements of Blin marriage can be incorporated into Lassallian religious formation in Eritrea. As for the methodology followed for this research, the author has mainly used books written regarding Blin people, and others which have similarities in cultural concepts, and conducted interviews with few Blin people who have deep knowledge regarding Blin marriage.