Marriage
Engagement
Marriage is a very sacred process in the Ibo culture. When a young woman acquires a male suitor, the male and his family come over to assess the woman and her femininity. The woman makes sure she looks her best, and shows off her femininity such as her wide hips for bearing children. She also wears “jigida” or waist beads typically worn by the bride to be, and “uli”, which is a body paint that is similar to henna. Women are generally much younger than men when they get married, getting married around age 16, to a man that is around age 25. Before the wedding, a bride price must be negotiated, which is how many cowries the groom pays in order to marry the bride. This price is negotiated peacefully by the bride and groom’s fathers. Branches, which represent the bags of cowries, are passed back and forth between the fathers until they both agree on a number which they feel the bride is worth.
Wedding
On the day of the wedding, there is an “uri” for the bride, which is the main betrothal ceremony for the bride. Although the whole village is invited, it is really a women's ceremony and the central figures are the bride and her mother. The women from the village help the mother of the bride cook for everyone attending the wedding. Dishes such as yams, cassava, vegetable soup, and foo-foo are prepared for the occasion. A greater group of kinsman known as Umanna stand by the bride on this special day as friends and family of the bride. The Umanna as well as immediate parents and relatives receive the pots palm wine brought by the suitor and his family. Receiving few pots is to be considered as an insult to the bride, while receiving many pots is an honor, and proves the men to be “real men”. On this day, married women wear their best cloths to the wedding, while girls wear read, with black bead belts and brass anklets.
After the in-laws arrive, the women first shake the hands of everyone there, the mother and bride leading the way. After they finish, the father of the bride presents a kola nut to the new in-laws, which they break in return, representing friendship between the two newly joined families. Following this, there is a calling and response from the father of the bride to the crowd of people, which is similar to the vows which we recite in our traditional weddings. As the night progresses after eating food, girls come to dance in front of everyone for a little while before the bride finally comes out to perform a traditional dance before everyone, where she is holding a cock in her right hand. The night goes on for a little while with more food and dance until everyone tires and begins to go home. Once the night finishes, the bride leaves with the suitor's family to spend seven market weeks with them.
Things Fall Apart: Chapter 8, Chapter 12
Pages: 65, 71-73, 110. 113, 116-119
Marriage is a very sacred process in the Ibo culture. When a young woman acquires a male suitor, the male and his family come over to assess the woman and her femininity. The woman makes sure she looks her best, and shows off her femininity such as her wide hips for bearing children. She also wears “jigida” or waist beads typically worn by the bride to be, and “uli”, which is a body paint that is similar to henna. Women are generally much younger than men when they get married, getting married around age 16, to a man that is around age 25. Before the wedding, a bride price must be negotiated, which is how many cowries the groom pays in order to marry the bride. This price is negotiated peacefully by the bride and groom’s fathers. Branches, which represent the bags of cowries, are passed back and forth between the fathers until they both agree on a number which they feel the bride is worth.
Wedding
On the day of the wedding, there is an “uri” for the bride, which is the main betrothal ceremony for the bride. Although the whole village is invited, it is really a women's ceremony and the central figures are the bride and her mother. The women from the village help the mother of the bride cook for everyone attending the wedding. Dishes such as yams, cassava, vegetable soup, and foo-foo are prepared for the occasion. A greater group of kinsman known as Umanna stand by the bride on this special day as friends and family of the bride. The Umanna as well as immediate parents and relatives receive the pots palm wine brought by the suitor and his family. Receiving few pots is to be considered as an insult to the bride, while receiving many pots is an honor, and proves the men to be “real men”. On this day, married women wear their best cloths to the wedding, while girls wear read, with black bead belts and brass anklets.
After the in-laws arrive, the women first shake the hands of everyone there, the mother and bride leading the way. After they finish, the father of the bride presents a kola nut to the new in-laws, which they break in return, representing friendship between the two newly joined families. Following this, there is a calling and response from the father of the bride to the crowd of people, which is similar to the vows which we recite in our traditional weddings. As the night progresses after eating food, girls come to dance in front of everyone for a little while before the bride finally comes out to perform a traditional dance before everyone, where she is holding a cock in her right hand. The night goes on for a little while with more food and dance until everyone tires and begins to go home. Once the night finishes, the bride leaves with the suitor's family to spend seven market weeks with them.
Things Fall Apart: Chapter 8, Chapter 12
Pages: 65, 71-73, 110. 113, 116-119