Traditional marriage setting in Nigeria

Traditional marriage in mostly the Southern, Eastern and Western part of Nigeria is often done before wedding.

So many things have to be put in place before that special day set aside for the intended couple to celebrate with friends, villagers, elders and well wishers traditionally.
We are going to carefully look at the steps

𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙋 1: This is a very crucial stage. It is called the "Consultation or Introduction stage", where the groom's family will meet with the bride's family. It is the duty of the groom's family to consult the bride's family and ask for the hand of their daughter in marriage.
The groom will inform and later assemble his family members, the elders, and friends in his hometown, buy kolanut which serve as a sign of respect, crates of mineral & beer, bottles of locally made drinks, tubers of yam, goat, fish, rice, oil etc.

Source: Facebook

The items mentioned will be taken to the bride's family. It's a kind of familiarity meeting, in which the bride's and the groom's family gets to know themselves.
When the items are carefully assessed and said to be complete by the bride's family, the spoke person of the groom's family will be given the chance to inform them about their mission.
During the meeting, the groom will be given the opportunity to identify the lady he wants to get married to among the ladies that will be brought out by the bride's family.
At the end of the meeting, the groom will be given a long list of items which also include the bride price (money paid as way of appreciating the worth of the bride).

Source: Facebook

This is one of the most difficult and demanding part of the setting, because a lot of items will be included in the list and also a huge sum of money as bride price.
This is always done to check the competency level of the groom. To see if he has what it takes to take care of the bride after marriage.

Source: Facebook https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2925513261003996&id=100006360523136

𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙋 2: At this level, the groom will start buying the items one after the other until it is complete. After the items on the list and the bride price have been paid to the bride's family, we now move to the D-day(traditional marriage).

Source:Facebook https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2925513261003996&id=100006360523136

𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙋 3: The traditional marriage.
This is the most decorative and popular traditional celebration for couples in Nigeria.
It is always a mouth watering event filled with amazing entertainers such as live band, masquerade parading the venue of the event, dancers entertaining people, showmen displaying their comic character to the amusement of the crowd, the villagers coming to grace the occasion, chiefs and elders within and outside the community etc.
Representative from both the groom and the bride side will also be there. For them, the union is not all about the man and the woman, but also a union between the two villages.
It is always a moment of mixed feelings for the bride's family. A feeling of sadness to see their daughter leaving them and that of happiness because the daughter is finally getting married.
On that day, the groom will try as much as possible to buy drinks and food for wife's community representatives, youth, friends etc. It is advisable that the groom should be financially ready before embarking on a journey of such magnitude.

And finally,the family of the bride will then join their daughter's hand in marriage with the man and bless them.

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