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EveryShaadi

Wedding traditions of Port Vila

A harbour capital in Vanuatu where kastom marriage means pigs, mats and kava given between families.

Vanuatu's many islands have over a hundred languages and each has its own kastom, the custom. Marriage in many islands involves a bride price in pigs, mats, kava and money. A church wedding and a civil ceremony are held in town, and the family feast is shared by the village.

Port Vila: En route Port Vila to Auckland
Photo: Phillip Capper, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A wedding here

The groom's family gathers the gifts and presents them to the bride's side. The couple is decorated with leaves, flowers and coconut oil. A feast of laplap, a pudding of root vegetable and coconut cream baked in an earth oven, is shared.

Law and change

Bride price is lawful and customary, and the government has debated its role in violence against women. The legal minimum age is 18 for women since 2018 changes, although earlier rules allowed marriage from 16 with consent.

Wedding customs of Port Vila

Bride priceThe exchange.

Also part of it, and being written: Kava (The drink.), Laplap (The festive dish.), Culture of Vanuatu (The culture.).

A wedding trail idea for Port Vila

  1. Port Vila Market A produce and craft market.
  2. Vanuatu Cultural Centre A museum of kastom.
  3. Mele Cascades A waterfall near the city.
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

Nothing matches those filters yet. Take one off, or check back: new traditions are written every day.

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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