Wedding traditions of Ibadan
A huge Yoruba city where the engagement is a theatre of greeting, bargaining and praise.
Ibadan is one of the largest cities in West Africa, with a strong Yoruba tradition. The traditional engagement, called the introduction or the engagement ceremony, features two spokesmen, the alaga ijoko and alaga iduro, who lead the families in humour and negotiation. The bride is welcomed with song and her gele is tied with care.
A wedding here
The groom's family arrives with gifts and is asked to prove the reason for its visit before the bride is brought out. The bride's family may block the entrance until a fee, in play, is paid. Cloth called aso oke, woven in strips, is worn by the couple.
Where weddings happen
Family compounds, event halls, and the university chapel host weddings. Many couples hold the church ceremony on a different day.
Wedding customs of Ibadan
Also part of it, and being written: Yoruba people (The culture.).
A wedding trail idea for Ibadan
- Dugbe Market A market for cloth.
- Cocoa House A landmark skyscraper.
- Mapo Hall A civic hall in the city.
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.
- Aso oke: Wolf D., Public domain, source
- Bride price: Пимоненко Николай Корнилиевич, Public domain, source
- Gele: Royalesignature, CC BY-SA 4.0, source