The traditions and trends that dictate weddings in America and the Western world are widely known. However, there are many other cultures who celebrate this special ceremony with their own, rich traditions that many people are unfamiliar with. One of these is the Nigerian community, whom the photographers at Atlanta Artistic Wedding Photographers have had the pleasure of working with multiple times. Nigeria has hundreds of tribes, the largest being the Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, and each tribe has their own interpretation on wedding traditions and symbolism.

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In Nigeria, a wedding is not only the joining of two people, but two entire families as well. This means families are heavily involved and many traditions involve the couple proving their love to each others family. In Igbo tradition, weddings even occur in order of family seniority and the younger siblings aren’t allowed to marry until the older siblings do. When it comes to Nigerian wedding traditions, the process starts as soon as the proposal is made with the Introduction Ceremony, where both families meet each other for the first time. In many tribes, like the Igbo, the bride’s family will use this ceremony to present the potential groom with a dowry, or list of items that he must acquire in order to get their blessing to marry. The list can include many different items and the difficulty of the list can depend on a bride’s social status. For instance, a dowry may become more expensive and the items may be harder to find or more uncommon if the bride has a doctorate or prestigious profession. The women from the bride’s family will then check the items the groom brings and, if they match the list he was given, the engagement will be allowed to proceed. A less common tradition in the Hausa tribe states potential grooms have to endure 100 lashes without wincing or crying out to show their commitment to the bride. If the man shows discomfort, the wedding is not allowed to happen. Even at the ceremony, the groom has to prove his loyalty when he is presented with three women with veils over their face. He has to pick which woman is his bride and the wedding can only proceed if he chooses the right woman.

Weddings are a chance for couples and their families to show their social status, so wedding attire is often opulent and regal. Brides tend to choose bright, vibrant patterns for their dresses and prefer rich fabrics such as lace, silk, or tulle and the colors of their outfits often match their husbands tunic. Yoruba brides wear “aso oke” or “top clothes”, made of a matching buba blouse and iro, a swath of fabric wrapped around the waist. A heavy sash of complementary fabric, called an iborun, is draped on one shoulder. The bride’s ensemble is matched to her husband’s tunic and pants set, along with his agbada draping and fila hat. Similarly, traditional Igbo wedding attire includes a lace blouse, a bright kaftan-like skirt, and head tie. Nigerian brides also adorn themselves with regal accessories. For instance, Igbo brides wear coral beads that match or contrast their wedding outfit, and many Nigerian women wear a Gele, or a scarf or fabric folded into an ornate shape and placed on the brides head. There are also customs surrounding what wedding guests wear. The tradition of “aso-ebi” or “family clothes” means the couple assigns colors that each side of the family has to wear to the ceremony. This makes it easier to tell if a guest is a member of the brides family, a member of the grooms family, or a friend of the couple.

There are many traditions incorporated into the ceremony as well. Nigerian couples often have two ceremonies held days, maybe weeks apart: a cultural wedding followed by a religious ceremony. The religious ceremony is often more western in nature, although lately couples have increasingly been adding cultural elements to this ceremony as well. At a Yoruba wedding, friends of the groom have to lie prostrate in a planking position on the ground in front of the bride’s parents as a show of respect. Yoruba couples also follow the less serious tradition of “the lift test”, where the groom attempts to carry the bride as a promise that he can “carry her” through life. At some point during the ceremony, typically when the couple steps onto the dance floor for the first time, the guests traditionally throw money at the bride. The money is thrown only to the bride, even though the groom is with her, and the bridesmaids collect the money later to give to the couple. The guest list can easily reach over 500 people at a Nigerian wedding, so the reception is naturally a large, vivacious party. That being said, there are certain songs in this culture that pair with a dance, similar to the “electric slide” in Western tradition, that are usually played during the reception. There is also plenty of delicious, traditional food provided by the mother of the bride.

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The Nigerian culture have many wedding traditions that make their ceremonies so special, beautiful, and full of personality. I have always had a fun time seeing this community celebrate life milestones and learning about the traditions that make their culture has been so interesting and I hope you enjoy learning a little bit about it too.

Thanks again,

David

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