Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Africa is a large and varied continent containing some oI the oldest civilizations on earth. It is
home to a wide diversity oI religions and cultures, and this colorIul diversity is reIlected in its
diverse and colorIul weddings traditions.
II any one wedding tradition might be said to be indicative oI the AIrican continent it would be
the importance oI 1,2. An AIrican wedding is, more than anything, the bringing together oI
two people as a single Iamily, or the combining oI two Iamilies or even the mixture oI two tribes
into one Iamily unit. The concept oI 1,2 is one oI the uniIying ideas oI the AIrican continent.
There are more than 1,000 cultural units in Africa and each culture, each tribe has its own
wedding and marriage traditions, many oI which can trace their origins back hundreds or even
thousands oI years.
There are also many diIIerent religions represented in Africa. Many northern AIricans,
especially, have been inIluenced by Muslim traditions, while Iurther south there are more
Christian, Hindu, and even Jewish traditions interspersed with more ancient traditions.
In many places in Africa young girls are trained to be good wives Irom an early age. They may
even learn secret codes and secret languages that allow them to talk with other married women
without their husbands understanding what is being said.
Depending on which part oI Africa you are in, wedding ceremonies can be extremely elaborate,
some lasting many days. OIten huge ceremonies are held during which many couples are united
at the same time.
In Sudan and in other areas along the Nile a man must pay his wiIe`s Iamily in sheep or cattle Ior
the loss oI their daughter`s labor in support oI the Iamily. A wiIe may cost a man as many as 30
to 40 head oI cattle. OIten it is diIIicult to pay the Iamily yet still have enough cattle leIt to
support his new wiIe.
In Somalia a man is allowed to have as many as Iour wives iI he can support them all, and it is
not uncommon Ior a girl to be engaged beIore she is even born.
Bright Iestive colors, song, dance, and music are vital elements oI many AIrican wedding
ceremonies. Common to all wedding ceremonies is the concept oI transitioning between
childhood and adulthood. In many AIrican cultures children are encouraged to marry as young as
13 to 15 years oI age, as soon as they have reached physical adulthood.
Divorce is rare in AIrican marriages. Problems in a marriage are oIten discussed with both
Iamilies and solutions Iound. OIten entire villages join in to help a couple Iind solutions to their
problems and keep a marriage Irom Iailing.
Marriage is sacred the world over, and that is deIinitely true in Africa, no matter which region or
which culture you come Irom, and no matter what your religious belieIs. In Iact, many cultures
have a special totem that is designed to remind a couple that cultural and tribal diIIerences must
be allowed Ior in order to make a marriage succeed.