Nigerian Wedding Traditions

In Nigeria, in west Africa, a husband never uses his wife’s name. Only relatives and the women’s own children are allowed to use the name her father gave her and it is only  unmarried girls who may be called by name. So to  learn a married woman’s name, one have to ask her husband the name of her father, and use that. When a couple are about to get married in this community people sing to inform that the bride is bound and is brought to the young man.

Singing and dancing are two very important fragments in the Nigerian weddings and they are always combined with a  big feast. The bride is keept in a special hut where she stays till he is let inside. But first he has to give chicken and   tobacco to the guest   and when all have got this the bride groom is let inside the brides’s hut and the marrige is announced. Next day a goat is killed for the bride and the blood is poured over the threshold of the hut.

and the bride’s mother asks her daughter if she is pleased with the groom. After this the dancing starts again and the drums call make visitors come and they give the bride a penny to see her face and another penny for camwood to rub her body. In Nigeria marriage is seen as a bound between blood relations and are considered as very important (Bowen 1964:46,117,119,137).

There has been so much talk about the lavish and over the top wedding customs of Western Weddings. I, on the other hand, know differently, customs around the world, has us (Americans, movie stars, narcissistic couples), beat in the opulence of celebrating nuptials.
Igbankwu is one of three wedding ceremonies which is the Igbo word for traditional marriage ceremony (displayed here in these photos).

* The traditional marriage held in the house of the woman
* The official wedding, held in a registry office which allows only one wife
* The religious marriage.

Prior to the Igbankwu the bride and grooms family discuss the terms of the marriage. This is something all couples of any culture should do, especially here in America.

The fact: Nigerian traditional weddings are full of joy, praises, vibrant colors, singing and dancing.  This wedding is just one amazing event.  Sike and AJ traditional wedding depicts culture and tradition.  I enjoyed documenting this special day for Sike and AJ.