Bridal Dos

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.