Traditionally on the day of an Ethiopian wedding the bride’s father will present cows, sheep, honey and wheat to tribe, this demonstrates what he has prepared for his daughter. The tribal leaders reply to this by showing their acceptance of the wedding. At the reception the groom only eats from a special dish prepared by the mother of the bride, this is a sign of approval.
Ethiopian wedding traditions normally follow Muslim practices and are centered on a display of generosity. After the initial announcement of the engagement the groom sends a milking cow to the bride’s house, butter is made from the milk collected from the cow. The butter is presented to the groom on the night of the wedding. The engagement is formally declared in the presence of the tribal leaders and the Sheikhs.
Traditionally in Eritrea it takes at least a week to prepare all the food for the wedding celebration and up to a month to brew ‘Suwa’ a local beer and ‘Miyes’ a honey mead liquor. After the wedding its custom for the couple to stay at home for two to three weeks while relatives provide meals.
All weddings in Eritrea are arranged by families. Among the Tigrinya people the parents suggest marriage partners to establish family alliances. Traditionally the bride is ten years younger than the groom. In urban areas the girl would’ve most likely completed high school before getting married.
Another wedding ritual of Congo which demonstrates the virginity of the bride is performed the day after the wedding. Women from both sides of the family go to the couple’s bed and question the bride about the wedding night, and the presence of blood provides evidence of virginity.
A wedding tradition of Congo which dates back to ancient times is called the dot or brideprice. A price for the bride is set which the groom must pay to the wife’s family. The dot price is normally set very high to deter any undesirable men.
For males of this small island nation to become full-fledged members of the community they must marry an eldest daughter of an elder in a Grand Marriage. The Grand Marriage is multi-ceremony event lasting up to a week, the event is extremely expensive. Families save for years for the wedding and they can sometimes spend their life savings on providing meals and other celebrations for the entire village. Guests bring expensive gifts to the wedding and the details of the gifts are noted so they can be reciprocated in the future.
In rural areas of the country the parents usually arrange the marriage but in urban areas the men and women choose their own partners. Even though illegal, the practice of giving dowry is still common. The giving of the dowry depends greatly on the groom’s financial status and reputation.
Traditionally in Cape Verde couples are permitted to pick their own partners but family and friends do play an integral role in planning the wedding and other celebrations. Due to the high expenses attached with weddings many couples end up living together for a couple of years until they can afford the ceremony and reception.
Traditionally in Cameron, first marriages were historically arranged, with limited veto powers by the potential bride and groom. Polygyny is practiced in Cameron today but it’s not always obtainable due to financial reasons. Southern tribes in Cameron preferred to marry outside their tribal group, while the Fulani tribe preferred to marry within their tribe.
