Martin0:


@ Op

The Yoruba traditional marriage ceremony
even though a serious affair, is full of playful
banter, rich contemporary Nigerian music,
graceful colours and sumptuous meals.
Weddings in Yoruba land is an occasion to show
your best outfits, handbags, jewelry and even
dancing styles.

The traditional wedding is an occasion to
alleviate the drudgery of normal life and are
greatly anticipated by friends and well wishers.
It is carried out in different stages which will
be discussed extensively below the line .
The Introduction: The families of the bride
and groom meet long before any engagement
ceremony takes place. The groom visits the
family of the bride in company of his father
and some family members. The occasion is an
informal introduction without fanfare but a
cordial atmosphere to know each other. The
informal introduction does not require much
except some tubers of yam and a few bottles
of wine; the family of the bride hosts the
visitors with a simple meal of their coice.

Apart from all round introductions, they might
discuss when the event would take place, this
is not a hard and fast rule and such discussions
might take place later.

____________

Bride's Outfit: The bride's outfit is a reflection
of what the female guests will wear, she might
choose, damask, lace, Nigerian wax fabric or
any fabric that appeals to her. The outfit
consists of gele which is the head tie, the buba
(the blouse) and an iro which is a large
material tied round her waist and is usually
ankle length. The colours she chooses reflects
the colour theme her family has chosen but
should also complement the groom's outfit
and look identical. She can wear accessories
like gold necklace, beads, bangles, gold
earrings and shoes to match.


____________

Groom's Outfit: The groom could decide to
wear an Agbada which is a two layered
material of heavy dimensions like the Aso-Oke
(traditional hand-woven material) , it might be
cotton, and damask or he might wear lace or
even wax fabric (Ankara). His colour
combination should complement the bride's
and reflect the colour his family has chosen.

_________________


The Traditional Engagement: The traditional
engagement is carried out by a contracted
professional called the Alaga ijoko which
translated, means the traditional master of
ceremony. The professional could be a
member of the bride's family or a complete
stranger. The Alaga Ijoko is usually a woman
and her duty is to properly officiate and
coordinate the proceeding so each provision of
tradition is strictly adhered too. There are
different stages she coordinates and each
stage might elicit a collection of cash which the
Alaga keeps, various fines are paid and formal
introduction of the groom accompanied by his
age mates and friends which also involves
prostrating to the family of the bride to
formally request their daughter's hand in
marriage. The groom's family also hire a
professional called the Alaga iduro which
means the standing master of ceremony, who
follows the groom and family to ask for the
hand of their daughter. The Alaga iduro is also
a professional custodian of Yoruba wedding
tradition. She could be a family member or
hired for the occasion. Other festivities include
the letter reading which is read by a young
lady from the groom's family also asking for
the hand of the bride in marriage. The bride's
family also responds with a letter of their own.
The engagement is an integral part of the
traditional marriage and as the ceremony
proceeds, items listed for the engagement
that was given to the groom's family is
presented. The items vary slightly in each
Yoruba traditional wedding but the general
articles are the same.


___________


Items Requested By The Bride's Family:
Some of the items demanded by the bride's
family are; bag of sugar, bag of rice, alligator
pepper, large number of bitter kola, bag of
salt, kola nuts. If they are Christians, a bible,
keg of honey and about forty large tubers of
yam are included in the items. Non edible
items could include expensive materials like
lace, several pairs of shoes, wristwatch, a gold
engagement ring and head tie.

____________


Bride Price: There is no fixed amount of
money for the bride price, as it is usually
dictated by the bride's family and is subject to
negotiation. However, there are other fees to
be paid by the groom/his family (which are
also negotiable); Owo Isigba - N500. This is
used to open the packaged gift items brought
by the bridegroom, Owo Ikanlekun (entrance
fee) - N500, Owo Ijoko Iyawo - N1,000. This is
the money given to elders in the groom's
family, Owo Isiju Iyawo (fees paid to unveil the
bride) - N500, Owo Baba Gbo - N500. This
amount is paid to ask for the bride's father
consent, Owo Iya Gbo - N1,000. This is the
amount of money paid to ask for the bride's
mother consent, Owo Omo Ile Okunrin - N500.

This is the money given to all male children in
the bride's family, Owo Omo Ile Obinrin -
N500. This is the money given to all female
children in the bride's family, Owo Iyawo Ile -
N500. this is the money given to all wives in
the bride's family, Owo Ijoko Agba - N1,000.
This is the amount of money reserved for
elders of the bride's family, Owo Alaga Ijoko
(amount of money reserved for the MC) -
N500.


_______


The Groom and Bride: Some of the
engagement protocols officiated by the Alaga
ijoko is carried out in the absence of the
groom, the professionals go through a
question and answer format were the bride's
moderator puts the representatives of the
groom through some hoops. At one point the
groom's presence is needed and he comes
forward and goes through the introduction
process to the bride's family and parents.
When all requirements are met the groom is
led and allowed to seat on one of the two large
chairs conspicuously placed in from of the
guests. The chairs are artfully decorated in the
chosen ceremonial colours by the wedding
planner.
_______


The Bride: The bride is then heralded into the
venue of the ceremony followed by her
friends, all dressed in traditional attires like
buba and iro, as they join her in a boisterous
dance down the hall. The bride also goes
through a few protocols but money is only
given to her and not taken from her as in the
case of the groom. She is introduced to the
groom's family before she takes her place
beside the groom. At this stage, they may
consider themselves married. The wife
displays some wifely traits by feeding the
groom some cake and wine, even a kiss to the
amusement of the guests.


__________


Conclusion: Yoruba traditional marriage is
seen as an occasion for family members to
reunite and catch-up on current happenings.
They also see find old friends and
acquaintances. It is a fun filled and
meticulously planned period that announces to
the world the union of their loved ones. The
couple can choose to include a civil union
through a court wedding and also go through a
church wedding and a separate wedding
reception. Muslims who also form a large
number of Yoruba people have a more
simplified wedding protocol which involves
Islamic scholars and religious leaders who
offer prayers to the union followed by
merriment in form of a party.


Op I hope u will understand and learn how it done in yuroba!

Am not a yuroba oo am just helping out.

Hello,

Thank you so much for this.This will go a long way towards helping me explain the ceremony to my fiancée and his family. My mother and father live about 270 miles away from me so it's been hard to find time to coordinate. I am getting information from everyone I can. Nairaland seemed like an untapped well of information. This reply is but one example.

Thanks again!

Hello Everyone,

I am getting married towards the later end of next year.

My father is Yoruba and my mother is from Calabar. I was born in Nigeria but have been in the U.S. since I was a young girl. My fianceé is Oyinbo and we are doing a traditional wedding ceremony.

Does anyone know where I find the steps for the Efik and Yoruba ceremony? My fianceé's family wants to join in a just wants a little more information so they can full participate. I don't just want them to sit there dumbstruck. I want them to be a part of it. I've tried searching for steps to the wedding, but haven't gotten good results. I basically want a program, what goes first, what is last, what to do in each part.

My parents are also helping me but I figure the more information I get, the better.

Any help or suggestions will be welcomed.

Thanks in advance,

TV10

Ps,

Here's an example of the steps in a Hindu wedding: https://www.thoughtco.com/hindu-wedding-rituals-1770478

Looking for something similar.