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Wedding traditions of Cape Town

A city of Cape Malay weddings in the Bo-Kaap and winelands venues beneath the mountain.

Cape Town has Xhosa, Cape Malay, Afrikaans, English and Indian communities. The Cape Malay community in the Bo-Kaap are Muslims descended from enslaved people brought from Southeast Asia and Africa, and keep their own wedding customs. The city's wine farms are favoured venues.

Cape Town: Cape Town viewed from Lion's Head, South Africa
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A wedding here

In a Cape Malay wedding the groom's family brings gifts, and the nikah is held in a mosque or hall. Women prepare the henna, called kina, and dishes such as bobotie, samoosas and koesisters. In a Xhosa wedding the groom's family brings cattle or money and the bride wears an embroidered traditional dress.

Law and change

Same-sex marriage is legal. Customary and Muslim marriages are recognised in different degrees; the Muslim Marriages Bill has been debated for years, and a 2022 court ruling urged recognition.

Wedding customs of Cape Town

Same-sex marriage in South AfricaThe legal position.

Also part of it, and being written: Cape Malay cuisine (The food.), Xhosa people (The community.), Lobola (The bride price.).

Communities and their weddings in Cape Town

  • Cape Malay families The nikah and kina.
  • Xhosa families The traditional ceremony and a feast.

A wedding trail idea for Cape Town

  1. Bo-Kaap The colourful old Malay quarter.
  2. Company's Garden A garden at the centre.
  3. Groot Constantia A wine estate used for weddings.
About this page

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.

KindRiteVowBetrothalGift customAttireAdornmentPerformanceFeast customBlessingPlayFamily roleSettingModern
StageFinding a matchEngagement and betrothalThe weeks beforeThe eveProcession and arrivalThe ceremonyThe wedding feastReception, dance and giftsAfter the wedding
🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaSame-sex marriage in South Africa The legal recognition of same-sex unions established by the Civil Union Act of 2006.Modern · The ceremony 🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha The legal recognition of same-sex unions across the three island groups since 2017.Modern · The ceremony

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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