African Weddings: Traditions, Customs, and Really Special Cultures
Africa has a vibrant population of interesting people who always love to celebrate life despite the perception of many in the western world seeing it as a poor continent. From the South to the North and the East to the West — African wedding tradition speaks a volume of the rich cultural ceremonies of this amazing continent. The diverse cultures and traditions of Africa are regularly incorporated in wedding ceremonies.
Facts about Wedding Traditions of Africa
Marriage is a celebration of love between man and woman, and the African culture believes a man is not complete without a wife. It also brings about the unity of two families regardless of their respective culture or background. In Africa, there are different cultural activities associated with a wedding ceremony depending on the region. The cultural aspects involved in tying the knot between two lovers are to make the ceremony memorable and to give the two family members the opportunity to know each other much better.
There are hundreds of different cultures practiced across various countries of Africa and a lot of strange activities are expected during a wedding ceremony, which is peculiar to each ethnic group. Even though the western civilization is having a serious influence on African marriage traditions and customs, a large number of tribes still uphold their rich traditions. As a result, the process of a marriage between man and woman is usually followed by elaborated pre-wedding preparations before the day.
Planning a Traditional African Wedding
Every African is looking forward to having an eternal marital unison, so there are much anticipation and excitement during preparation. Generally, there should be a total understanding between man and woman to become husband and wife before informing their respective family about their intentions. The knocking on the door is a common ceremony that brings the family of the groom to the house of his wife-to-be demanding her hand in marriage.
For example, according to the Yoruba tradition in West Africa, the groom is expected to come with his parents as well as some elder people of his family. They'll come along with gifts and traditional items such as beverages, fruits, tubers of yam, kola nuts, palm wine, and many more. During this meeting, the beverages are used for libation ceremony, which is typically one of the most popular West African wedding traditions. Older members of each family will pray for the couple-to-be while a wedding day is fixed.
The traditional process of asking a woman's hand in marriage from different African ethnic groups may vary, but it is generally considered to be the most important step that signifies the consent of the bride's family. Now let's take a look at some of the African wedding ceremony traditions.
Strange African Wedding Traditions and Customs
A wedding day is always an exciting moment for the bride and groom and their respective family. Clothing is very essential in every African marriage and each tribe has its traditional attire, like the kente cloth of the Akan tribe in West Africa. Each family provides enough to eat and drink, and the ceremony is usually made more excited with music and dance.
Some of the ancient African wedding traditions are still being practiced today while western culture has changed many others. There are marriage traditions in Africa you probably haven’t heard of – some are very old practices but still found among many different ethnic groups, while others are completely weird.
The Virginity Test
In the past, the virginity of a bride was the pride of her family and she must keep it till her wedding night. Members of the groom’s family are also waiting anxiously to know the status of the new wife and this always creates a lot of suspense on both sides of each family. In order for the groom’s family to confirm the bride's virginity, a white bedspread is prepared for the newly-wedded couple to sleep on during their first night. The joy is often enormous when the husband comes out to show his people the bedspread with blood stains – meaning his wife was a virgin at the time of meeting with her.
Keeping the Bride Indoor
Some tribes are still practicing the tradition which does not permit the bride to go out for some months before the wedding day when she would be handed over to her husband. She is kept indoor by selected elder women of her family who are expected to enlighten her about life as a wife and eventual mother. On the big day, she is escorted by the women to her new home with her body covered in white powder – a sign of faithfulness.
Making the Bride Fatter
Some tribes in Africa believe their son marrying a fat woman is a good sign of prosperity. As a result of this, a bride-to-be is well-fed for long before the day of her marriage to gain more weight and look plump.
Other strange African cultural wedding traditions include paying bride dowry with a certain amount of cattle, flogging the groom in public, kidnapping the bride by the groom, and jumping the broom.
Some of the African wedding traditions are still practiced today even among African Americans. Marriage in African society is an institution that combines love and happiness to form a family. Though some of these customs are weird, they are still practiced by a large number of people across the continent, including those living in diasporas. And an African couple-to-be would solidify their faithfulness during a wedding ceremony by tasting the four elements, which literally means staying together till death separates them.