Nyumbani
A Swahili word for the home, and for the bride's new household after the wedding.
Also: nyumba ya mke
Nyumbani means at home or in the house in Swahili, and in wedding talk it points to the household the couple will make together, often built or prepared by the groom's family. On the Swahili coast the bride traditionally spends days in seclusion, bathed, perfumed and decorated with henna by older women, before being brought to the groom's house. Customs differ between Mombasa, Zanzibar and the inland towns, so the detail depends on the community.
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa