Wedding traditions of Accra
A coastal capital where the knocking ceremony and a shared drink open every Ghanaian marriage.
In Ghana the first formal step is the knocking, when the groom's family visits the bride's home to ask. The traditional wedding follows, with a list of items, a bride price called the head drink and the exchange of gifts. A white wedding in a church or a civil ceremony often follows later.
A wedding here
A spokesperson, called the linguist, speaks for each family. The groom's family offers a bottle of schnapps, cloth and a small sum, and the bride is brought out after several false presentations. She wears kente cloth and gold jewellery, and the two families share food.
Law and change
Ghana recognises customary, Islamic and statutory marriages. The legal minimum age is 18, and the national government has campaigned against child marriage.
Wedding customs of Accra
Also part of it, and being written: Akan people (The community.), Ga people (The coastal community.).
A wedding trail idea for Accra
- Makola Market The market for cloth and beads.
- Registrar General's Department Where statutory marriages are registered.
- Independence Square A civic landmark.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kizomba: Obe Images, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kente cloth: ZSM, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bride price: Пимоненко Николай Корнилиевич, Public domain, source