A Road Trip To My Village| Attending My Cousin's Traditional Marriage

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(Image edited with Canva)

I embarked on a road trip on 21/11/2024 to my village to attend my cousin's traditional marriage. Weddings are joyful occasions which unites families together. I had to show my support by attending.

You would know I love traveling and exploring, if you read my previous travel blogs👇
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This was my second time visiting my village. I first visited when I was way younger. I was really excited about the trip. The trip was about 45 minutes from my home.

Road Trip

The journey went smoothly. As we were approaching my village, I could sense that village feeling. We passed thatch houses, small farms in front of people's homes, the atmosphere was cooler than what I am used to in the city, we were surrounded by green plants , the roads were bumpy and the sun shone so bright. It was a beautiful day.

I could not resist the urge to snap these beautiful pictures 👇. I came to realise that I love nature. I was in awe at the beautiful sceneries and could not help but thank and acknowledge the one behind nature - God.

Driving through the village	A local market

My village is Obo Attai in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. On arriving, we came across a really bad spot filled with water and mud. My dad was reluctant at first to drive through but, after encouragement by passersby he decided to drive through. It was a bumpy ride but we scaled through.

Right before the bad spot was a local government school.

Local government school

We arrived at the venue eight minutes after twelve and the event had not started. Though it was scheduled for twelve noon. That is what we call African Time here in Nigeria. It very normal for events especially traditional marriages to start later than the time slated.

The event decorators were still setting up tents and canopies for the event.

I utilised the opportunity to take pictures. The sun shone at its brightest. This enhanced my pictures.

Traditional Rites

After hours of waiting, the wedding ceremony started few minutes to four. A life band was present who performed beautiful renditions of high life music. Believe me when I say that they were good.

Beautiful decoration

The MC (Master of Ceremony) welcomed guests and dignitaries. They were different tents for different groups of people. For instance, the bride's family were made to sit in a canopy opposite the groom's family. We sat in the bride's family canopy since the bride is my cousin. The MC made us laugh by making a lot of jokes in Ibibio (my native language). I enjoyed every bit of it.

Inside the canopy

The Chairman was introduced, he gave a brief speech and declared the occasion open. The parents of the bride ( who are the owners of the house) were brought in accompanied with music. People danced around them to show how happy they were for them.

Food was served to everyone. The groom's family were taken to a special canopy in which varieties of traditional food was prepared including soups and traditional snacks. It is assumed that the bride prepared all the different types of meals. This is to showcase the bride's culinary skills to her suitors. It's called Udia Ibenghe ( meaning food prepared in anticipation for guests). In total, about 20 different meals were prepared.

Ushering in of the bride's parents

Then, two spokesmen came each representing the bride's family and the groom's family. They both introduced their family members. The bride's spokesman told the groom's spokesman to leave. He said the have been given food and the owners of the house have welcomed them.

P.S. it's like a little debate between the two spokesmen and the native language - Ibibio is spoken throughout the entire ceremony

The groom's spokesman replied that they saw a beautiful flower in their compound and they have come to pluck it. He went further to say that they came to have their daughter's hand in marriage. He told him that their son - Gabriel is the one who wants their daughter as a bride.

The bride's spokesman told them that they can not hear them. The groom's spokesman presented drinks to the bride's family (to open their ears). The bride's spokesman told them to bring the man that wants to marry their daughter.

The groom was ushered in with music. He showcased his dance steps.