culturally rich continent with many tribes. There are many interesting African
traditional wedding customs to know, although some of them are no longer being
practiced; if they are, they have, to a large extent, been modernized.
customs.
Jumping Over a Broom
This is an African wedding
tradition that symbolizes the rapid transition of the bride and groom into a new
life. The broom is used to demonstrate that all the pairs past problems have
been swept away, and is often handmade and beautifully decorated, sometimes
being displayed in the couple’s home after the wedding. The tradition originated
during the slave trade days when Africans were forbidden to marry and live
together. Jumping over a broom was used as a formal and public declaration of
the couple’s commitment.
Tasting the Elements
This is a
wedding ceremony tradition from the Yoruba culture where a bride and groom are
asked to taste three elements after the exchange of their vows and rings. The
elements tasted are pepper, honey and dried fish, and these elements symbolize
the bitterness, happiness and fertility of family life. The elements represent
different emotions within a marriage relationship, and as the bride and groom
taste each of the elements, the couple symbolically demonstrate that they will
be able to get through the hard times of marriage and, eventually, enjoy the
sweetness of marriage.
Sharing of Kola Nut
This is one wedding
tradition that is still being practiced widely in Nigeria, primarily among the
Igbo tribe. Kola Nut is shared between the bride and groom as a symbol of the
couple’s willingness to care for each other throughout the marriage. The couples
share a portion of the Kola Nut during the wedding ceremony, and can choose to
keep the remainder and display in their home after the marriage ceremony as a
symbol of their promise to work out any problems that may occur in the
marriage.
Knocking on the Door
Due to the fact that marriage
ceremonies in Africa are considered a joining of two families, a large emphasis
is placed on getting the permission and blessing of the family before the
wedding. One wedding tradition that fully illustrates this belief is the
Ghanaian wedding tradition of knocking on the door. The groom requests
permission to marry the bride from the bride’s family by ‘knocking on the door’.
The groom comes bearing gifts, accompanied by his own family, as he visits his
potential in-laws to ask for the hand of their daughter, his bride-to-be, in
marriage. If the knock of the groom is accepted, the families celebrate and
wedding plans begin.
