NIGERIAN WEDDINGS: THE IGBO TRIBE ~ Adex Fash

Traditional Weddings are serious business in a lot of African countries, as family is really important especially when it comes to marriage, in some cultures if a woman is not traditionally married it would be assumed that whatever kind of marriage rites she must have performed is
null and void.

Marriage is perceived as the joining of not only two people but also the joining of their entire families both immediate the zulu tribe of south Africa strongly believe these so do many other African tribe like the Igbo tribe of Nigeria.

The Igbo tribe located in Nigeria which is located at the western part of Africa is full of many tribe with diverse cultures. The Igbo traditional wedding is very serious business although some people feel its a little pricey but a lot of other cultures have pricey weddings too as they want the best for their families. the traditional wedding represents a huge part of their culture and ethnicity, it represents love unity and community as different families are invited and there is a display of native meals, dance fashion etc.

The Igbo traditional wedding ceremony happens in three stages, which occurs days apart in some cases. Proposing to an Igbo lady means proposing to her umunna i.e her entire family and they must accept too or else there would be no union.

The Igbo marriage ceremony are in four stages according to the Igbo tradition and custom it involves the following steps.

Iku aka or iju ese(Marriage Introduction\proposal\inquiry)
Consent from her umunna\extend family
Ime Ego (The dowry\bride price)
Igba nkwu nwanyi Wine carrying ceremony.

During the wedding ceremony the bride and groom attire have to compliment each other as most times they are sewn from the same cloth but that isn’t always the case. Favored fabrics include Ghana wax print, Ankara print, george, abada, hollandis wax print etc which in some part of the Igbo tribe they wear a blouse made of lace and they tie either of the above mentioned fabric divided into two wrappers referred to as Akwete. the bride can also choose to skip the blouse and just go for a wrapper.

The body of the bride is adorned with beautiful sandals, earrings, necklace, coral bead ankle bracelet, waist beads known as Jigida because of the sound it makes when the bride dances. gold and coral beads are favored accessories. the bride may wear brass leg rings and her toe nails are not left out as they are painted in shades that blend with the color scheme for the wedding.

For her crown (head) the bride could braid or weave her hair with beaded coral beads or wear beaded crowns although modern day ladies prefer the beaded cap and head tie.

The Igbo traditional wedding is like a festivity and every bride must look their very best. Below are pictures of bridal attires for the traditional weddings; See how Igbo ladies rock their bridal attire.

#1. Cool Bride

This pretty bride sports a beaded crown .