Nigerian
weddings or marriage is easily the most memorable day in the life of any
Nigerian couple.
It is the
coming together of a man and a woman to be joined permanently in life, provided
they love each other.
Weddings in
Nigeria is one of the most ceremonious occasion, everybody looks forward to it.
It happens
amidst friends, families and well wishers. A Nigerian wedding takes three to
four different stages, from the formal introduction, to the paying of dowry,
traditional marriage where every member of the family, extended family and
friends are invited. While the church wedding happens to be the final stage of
marriage in Nigeria.
I am going
to elaborate or Nigerian marital proceeding, from the introductory stage to church
wedding which is of course the final stage
This is a
comprehensive article on weddings proceedings in Nigeria and all that is
involved with marriage to a Nigerian girl. A girl in Nigeria is assumed to be
in the 'single and searching' mode until a man pays her dowry.
There is
nothing else that gives you the right over her except the payment of her dowry.
One could think the dowry that is often talked about is a huge sum of money but
it is not, it is simply a courtesy, a show of readiness to take a wife and the
ability to sustain her.
A man
believes that no amount of money is worth selling his daughter over, so often a
very little amount of money is used for the dowry in line with our cultural
heritage. It could be as little as five Naira, and the groom would be asked to
use what he should have paid to take care of his bride
Originally,
Nigerian weddings take four different stages, First is the introduction, - A
man finds a lady he loves, traditions demands that he makes due consultation
before the formal introduction.
(This is where he expresses his desire to take
a wife and live with her).
There used
to be other necessary protocols which have been washed away by the emancipation
of western culture. So now, a man walks up to any lady he fancies and begin a
conversation. If/when she says 'yes,' he goes ahead to see the father - This is
the formal introduction.
Here, very
close relatives are invited to hear what the man has to say, then a date is
fixed for the traditional wedding.
The Nigeria
traditional wedding is carried out at the house of the bride's father. As the
name implies, it is traditional wedding and traditional rights are carried out,
it involves lots of protocols, different dance groups that celebrates with the
man and the woman who have found love, It often begins with the 'game of
search'
This takes
the form of a game, where the girl is given a glass of wine to fish out his man
from the crowd and give it to him, the man on his own would take a concealed
position making it a hard task for the pretty bribe who drifts through the
crowd searching for the right man while avoiding the wrong men.
After the
search game, then the dance by the bride and groom while the guest watch and
spray Naira bills into the air. This is a regular ritual for Nigeria weddings,
it is like the people's custom.
After the
Traditional wedding comes the church wedding, this is always performed in the
church, it is the loudest of Nigerian weddings as the entire world is invited
and the man is dressed on suit while the lady is on her wedding gown. Most
Christians can only give their daughter fully to a man after the church
wedding, as it is termed - 'the wedding before God.' The church wedding
involves the joining of the couples in the present of God
Then the
signing of register, followed by the celebration, the party, the foods and
drinks. This is all about Nigerian weddings
SOURCE;NIGERIA WEDDING PICTURE GOGGLE
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