In many African cultures it has become the norm for couples to have two wedding ceremonies: the traditional ceremony and the civil/religious one (often known as the white wedding because of the western-style white dress worn by the bride). These traditional ceremonies differ in various cultures, although all of them include the extended families of the bride and groom and often a bride price. We take a look at various wedding customs from around the continent.
The Igbo wedding ceremony is widely known as 'Igba Nkwu Nwanyi’ - which loosely translated means the Wine Carrying. According to Igbo wedding traditions, prospective grooms are expected to provide a generous dowry to the bride's family ahead of the wedding. The dowry is stipulated by the bride's extended family. On the day the bride is accompanied by other unmarried women.
Yoruba couples wear Aso-Ebi on their wedding days. Aso-Ebi is the name given to traditional Yoruba garments worn by the bride and groom and their parties, the parties will all be dressed in the same colours and traditional fabrics. Yoruba weddings feature an Ijoko (a sort of Master of Ceremonies) who is usually a woman. She will generally introduce the bride and groom's families to each other formally and will encourage the groom and his friends to prostrate themselves before the bride. She also coordinates the payment of the dowry.
The Luba tradition requires a long courtship on the part of the the couple. The first step is a visit from the groom to formally introduce himself to the bride's parents. The prospective bride and groom will then be thoroughly investigated by their future in-laws. Thereafter, the bride price or dowry is set. In ancient times this price used to be paid in the form of copper crosses known as Katanga crosses.
Much of the traditional negotiations between the bride and the groom's families are carried out by elders connected to both families. The groom is considered responsible for the bride's dress. One of the most well known traditions of Kikuyu ceremony occurs on the day before the wedding, when the groom's family is locked out while a bride price is negotiated. The wedding day is usually marked by singing and dancing from the entire community. The wedding ceremony is known as ngurario and the music played is called Mugithi.
Traditional songs and dances are included in traditional Sukuma weddings. One of the Sukuma wedding traditions is that of 'checking on' the bride. The bride is kept secluded all day while female friends and family members visit with her in turns. After a day's isolation from the wedding party as a whole, the bride joins her friends and family for dancing and drumming.
In the Ashanti wedding tradition, the groom and the male members of his family will visit the bride's male family members and knock on the door. It is customary for the groom's party to be kept waiting for a while before they are allowed in. Thereafter the two sets of male family members will negotiate a bride price before the bride and the female family members are allowed to enter. Some families will present the groom with decoy brides before the real bride makes her appearance. The bride must then formally accept the groom and his gifts and then the couple are blessed and the reception party can begin.
The Luo of Kenya and Tanzania call their traditional marriage, which allows a groom to take multiple wives, Ayie. The custom, like many other traditional marriage customs, is concerned with the bride price primarily. Among the Luo the mother of the bride plays a key role - as it is her who accepts the bride price and allows the ceremony to go forward. There is then a second ceremony where the groom must give cattle to the bride's father.
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