Wedding traditions of Addis Ababa
A highland capital of white cotton dresses, elders' negotiations and a seven-day party.
Ethiopian weddings are known for the telosh, a custom of formal meetings between families, and for the shimagile, the elders who act as negotiators. The couple wears a traditional outfit with embroidered borders, the habesha kemis, and the groom a cape. A feast of doro wat, injera and tej is served.
A wedding here
The elders ask the bride's family for permission, and the bride is brought out after a formal exchange of gifts. After the ceremony the bride returns to her home, and the mels, a day-after meal, is held. Dancers perform the eskista, a dance of the shoulders.
Law and change
The Orthodox church sanctions marriage in a sacramental form and civil marriage is also recognised. The legal age is 18. Marriage by abduction, telefa, is a crime but is reported in rural areas, along with child marriage in some regions.
Wedding customs of Addis Ababa
Also part of it, and being written: Habesha kemis (The dress.), Injera (The bread.), Marriage by abduction (The contested practice.).
A wedding trail idea for Addis Ababa
- Merkato A very large market.
- Holy Trinity Cathedral A cathedral.
- Entoto Hill A viewing hill.
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.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Eskista: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Hanay, CC BY-SA 3.0, source