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How do Africans
Celebrate Marriage
Cultural Traditions
Africa is rich in cultural traditions, especially wedding and marriage
rituals. The people of Africa celebrate the bonding of a woman and a
man in a variety of ways, from being courted by cousins to kidnapping
the bride-to-be. Explore the many ways Africans celebrate marriage
Ethiopia
Karo
The Karo people of
Ethiopia celebrate a young bride’s puberty with scarification. Cuts
are made on her abdomen, and ashes are then massaged into the scars in
order to promote healing. The wounds are supposed to enhance the
bride’s desirability.
Source: National Geographic Magazine, November 1999, Volume 196, No. 5
Kenya
Swahili
Marriages are arranged
in the Swahili tribe of Kenya. Before the ceremony, a number of
rituals intended to enhance the bride’s attraction are performed. She
is bathed in oils and sandalwood, and has henna designs temporarily
tattooed on her limbs. A somo, an elder woman of the tribe, instructs
the bride how to please her husband, and may even hide under the bed
in case there is a problem consummating the marriage.
Masai
Marriages are also
arranged among the Masai of Kenya, and often the brides are matched
with older men that they do not know. The father of the bride spits
his blessing for the couple on the bride’s head and breasts, and as
she departs, she does not look back, fearing the myth that she will
turn to stone. One Masai custom is for female relatives of the groom
to insult the bride in order to ward off bad luck
Namibia
Himba
Among the Himba, the
groom and members of his family kidnap the bride before the ceremony,
and decorate her in an ekori, a marriage headdress made of leather.
When the bride arrives at her husband’s new home, his relatives tell
her what her responsibilities as his wife will be, and they show her
their acceptance into their family by anointing her with butterfat
from cows.
Niger
Wodaabe
Their cousins, who wear
what they consider to be their most powerful amulet to heighten their
charm for the bride to be, typically court women of the Wodaabe tribe
of Niger. Often, male cousins who are close to one another are
attracted to the same girl. Once the bride-to-be selects her mate, the
cousin who was not chosen is still welcomed into their home, and if
the bride consents, their bed.
South Africa
Ndebele
Weddings of the Ndebele
of South African are celebrated in three stages, the end of which can
take several years. The first stage is negotiation of the wedding is
payment for the bride, or lobola, and is paid in installments of money
and livestock. A two-week sequestration of the bride is the second
stage, during which time other women teach the bride how to be a good
wife. The third stage is completed only when the bride has her first
child.
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