Friday, 24 January 2014

Marrying a Yoruba Girl

Hey hey,
I have 3 yoruba friends getting married this year (yaaaay me :D) .... ok now back to the matter, this is a brief piece on what I have learnt about the Yoruba Engagement ceremony.





The entire event plays out like a well rehearsed play with two narrators representing both families, the 'Alaga Ijoko' (the sitting MC) for the bride's family and the 'Alaga Iduro' (the standing MC) for the groom's family.
Before the engagement, both families meet at the "introduction" where wedding dates are set and both families get to know each other.

The FIRST PART of the ceremony

This is when the Alaga Ijoko introduces the bride's parents and the groom's parents,


coordinates the reading of the proposal letter,


introduces the groom to the bride's family and makes the groom and his friends beg for their daughter's hand by prostrating in front of the bride's family.


She ends with ushering in the bride.





The SECOND PART of the ceremony

The Alaga Iduro takes over this part and introduces the bride to the groom's family and takes her to them for acceptance. She coordinates the payment of the bride price (which is usually returned to the groom's family because according to the bride's family,they are not selling a wife, they are giving a daughter)








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