Wedding Traditions of Africa’s Northeast Region
2010
Wedding Traditions of Africa’s Northeast Region
Wedding traditions in Africa bear some of the oldest rituals in the world; after all it is the oldestcontinent on the planet. Many of these traditions can be attributed to religion, culture or tribal. Inthe northeast region of Africa, you’ll find such countries as Chad, Egypt, Libya and Sudan, andwithin those countries you will find a spirit of their rituals.
Chad
There are different groups in the country of Chad; the two most known are the Arab Chad andthe Taubou or Daza Chad.
- The Arab Chad lives in a family that is closely knitted together.
- The primary social unit of the Arab Chad is known as Kashimbet.
- The Taubou Chad, are known for being nomadic.
- The wife is the decision maker in the family.
- The Taubou Chad believes in polygamy.
Egypt
- Often girls in Egypt marry at a young age.
- It is believed that the ring finger has the vein of love as it runs straight to the heart and that iswhy the ring goes on that finger.
- The groom’s family often proposes to the bride as many Egyptian weddings are still arraigned.After the agreement is made the Koran’s first chapter is read aloud.
- The Zaffa, which is an Egyptian wedding march, is played prior to the wedding vows. Itincludes music, drums, horns, belly dancers and flaming sword performers.
- An Egyptian wedding must include at least two Muslim witnesses.
Libya
- With Islam being the state religion of Libya, the wedding ceremony is usually Islamic and isquite often officiated by an imam.
- The marriage contract is signed in the bride’s home, but the festivities that follow usually takesplace on a different day.
- Wedding tradition of the past has a Libyan bride’s body completely covered with her faceveiled. However, the guidelines have changed some in recent years allowing a bride to wear awedding gown from the Western culture.
- An Islamic wedding generally has the new bride and groom eating their dinner secluded from
the wedding guests.
- On her way to her new home, often candy and rice are used to shower the bride as she walks.
Sudan
- Prior to the wedding, in exchange for the daughter’s hand in marriage, the groom’s family willgive the bride’s family sheep or cattle. This will help in replacing the labor lost by losing thedaughter’s help in the field. In some cases, it may cost the man as much as 40 cattle.
- For the wedding, the groom takes center stage. He is adorned with a large decoration knownas Umbul-Umbul as he arrives. Then the mother of the bride will welcome him to her family byputting a garland of flowers on him.
- The couple will then bend over forward and kiss their parent’s knees, which is custom calledsungkem. Sungkem is their way to ask for forgiveness, blessings and the promise to serve theirparents even after they are wedded.
- One wedding scenario takes place in front of a gargoyle water fountain. The water flowingsuggests the parent’s love for their children. Then a man and a woman sing kidung, a song onbehalf of their parents. It advises the new couple to live in harmony.
- Another scenario is that the groom and his bride will take their spots sitting side by side in frontof their future homes entrance under an umbrella. They will sit there with their heads covered bya veil. The umbrella serves two purposes. One is for protection as it shields the couple from anysun or rain. The other is symbolic for respect and esteem.
- After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom are showered by dancers with flowersinsuring them a fragrant future.
- Rice that is thrown at the couple symbolizes prosperity, while the yellow represents everlastinglove.
- Representing a direction that the couple should take bringing them a happily married life, sevencandles are lit.
- In the southern region of Sudan live the Neur people. Their belief is that the marriage is notcomplete until the wife has given birth to two children. In the event she only bears one, he canseek divorce as well as the return of the cattle.
- In the event the husband dies, his family must present the widow with his brother as hernew husband. If they bear children together, the children will be considered as the deceasedhusband’s kids.
