Long considered to be the origin of civilization as we identify it today, it’s not surprising then that various African cultures and religions have passed down their wedding traditions over the years and that many are still in use today.
With more than 1,000 different tribes living on the African continent, colorful wedding celebrations reflecting several religious beliefs are common. Muslim traditions might be seen in the weddings of a couple in northern Africa, while tribes living to the south could have Christian, Jewish or Hindu beliefs evident in their ceremonies.
Regardless of the tribe’s culture or religious beliefs, the one steady belief that runs through most African cultures is the importance of family. African weddings are more a blending of families, or even two tribes, into one unit than a simple marriage of two people.
Some traditional African wedding ceremonies can last several days and, in some cases, a huge group wedding ceremony will marry many couples at the same time. On the coast of Kenya, in Lamu, weddings can go on for an entire week, complete with singing, dancing and lots of food prepared by the women in the family. That week-long festivity is celebrated separately for men and women.
Many African cultures expect their children to marry as young as 13 to 15 years old, which is considered a transition from childhood to adulthood.
Some areas or religions allow multiple marriages. In Somalia, for example, a man can have four wives if he can support them. In some places, it is common for a man to be engaged to a girl before she is born.
Along the Nile, particularly in Sudan, a wife’s family expects to be paid handsomely for the loss of their daughter and her extra set of hands helping with the daily survival of the family. That payment could be 30 to 40 head of cattle, which often causes a hardship to the new husband who needs enough cattle left to support his wife.
A Bedouin Black African Arab tribe living in southern Sudan, called the Baggara, believes that a man’s first wife should be one of his own cousins. The cousins most sought after are usually on the father’s side.
In Nigeria (west Africa), the old, very traditional weddings are giving way to church weddings like those in the western world. Before that more modern adaptation, a husband never used his wife’s given name. Only relatives and the couple’s own children were allowed to use the name her father gave her. If someone wanted to know the wife’s married name, they had to ask the husband.
In Egypt, a procession announces the marriage with drums, bagpipes, belly dancers and men carrying flaming swords. Women commonly married at a very young age. Their spouse was usually their own cousin, carrying on the family’s blood relationship. In Cairo, that isn’t the case because, in that city, the man’s mother or other close female relatives “help” him find the perfect woman to be his wife.
Young girls are trained to be good wives from a very young age in many areas of Africa. They learn secret codes and languages that let them talk to other married women, while keeping their husbands clueless about what is being said. That technique might have already spread around the world, ignoring borders and languages.
There are hundreds of African wedding traditions not mentioned here. With over 1,000 African tribes and as many different traditions and religions going way beyond the scope of this article, it would be impossible to cover them all.
