Intriguing Pre-Marriage Rituals From Around The World

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There’s an old African proverb that goes, “A man without a wife is like a vase without flowers.” However, in many cultures, getting those flowers into the vase requires some serious work. From bouquet tossing to spitting on the bride, pre-wedding traditions range from the cute to the quirky, to the downright weird. 

Let’s look at some of the most interesting ones.

#1

Imagine telling a bride-to-be – or anyone for that matter – that they are fat. Most people from Europe or the US would curse you for anything approximating fat-shaming, however, a bride from the Bahima, Banyoro, or Banyankore tribes in western Uganda would jump with joy at the compliment.

Binge-eat away if you are a bride-to-be

Men from these tribes usually choose a bride according to how high she tips the scales. The bigger the better. So, as soon as girls come of age for marriage, they are kept indoors and fed all manner of food including beef, millet porridge, milk, and more until they get nice and plump.

#2

Staying in my home country of Uganda, a bride’s paternal aunt has many duties before the wedding but none is more important than a potency test for the groom. Traditionally, this test requires dear aunt to have sex with the groom to confirm his virility. Other times, the good aunt is required to listen in or watch as the bride and groom make good on their wedding vows, in order to prove the couple’s…ahem…vigor.

Naughty aunty!!!

#3

When getting married, most people beam with excitement and joy (with a few exceptions). In Congo, however, couples are required to keep all those jittery shrieks and smiles to themselves, or at least until after the wedding. If they show their excitement, it means they aren’t serious about marriage. Those wedding photos though… 

#4

Romanians turn pranksters before a wedding. Guests usually playfully abduct the bride and take her to a secret location and cheekily demand a ransom from the groom.

#5

The Himba people in Namibia also kidnap the bride before her big day to work on her beauty routine and wardrobe. They dress her in a leather headdress called Okori and her skin and hair are smeared with herbs and butterfat. After the ceremony, the groom’s family plasters the bride in yet more butterfat ointment, marking her acceptance into the family.

#6

It rains money at Nigerian weddings – literally. Among the Igbo and Yoruba tribes in Nigeria, newlyweds are showered with money while dancing and celebrating their nuptials. There are designated people who collect the money off the ground for the newlyweds when the dance has ended.

#7

In South Sudan, a potential groom is required to pay up to 40 cows for a Nuer girl. The taller she is, the more cows the groom pays. In return, a groom expects the cow – sorry – bride, to bear him at least two children. Bearing him only one child is considered grounds for divorce. If he chooses to divorce, he is given a choice between getting his cows back or custody of the child. Cows or a child? What kind of choice is this?

#8

In the Bemba culture of Zambia, a bride will get a pre-marriage counseling session called Bana Chimbusa. Thereafter, the bride’s family will present dishes to the groom’s family in a ceremony called Chilanga Mulilo. These dishes are a sneak preview of what the groom will be eating when married. So, if burgers and fries weren’t on the pre-wedding menu, please refrain from asking your wife to make that for you.

#9

In Fiji, before proposing to a girl, the man must first go swimming with whales. An extra word of advice here: Be nice to the whales so they let you have one of their teeth because you’ll need to present this tooth to your future father-in-law before he can give you permission to marry his daughter.

Of course, some of these traditions have become obsolete but a handful of hardcore families still practice them.

Are there any interesting pre-marriage rituals from your culture? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Pexels, Giphy

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