Wedding traditions of Sub-Saharan Africa
Lobola and the knocking on the door, kente and the wedding cloth, Gerewol and the Ethiopian zemed. 68 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
๐ฆ๐ด Angola 1๐ง๐ฏ Benin 5๐ง๐ผ Botswana 0๐ง๐ซ Burkina Faso 1๐ง๐ฎ Burundi 2๐จ๐ฒ Cameroon 3๐จ๐ป Cape Verde 0๐จ๐ซ Central African Republic 1๐น๐ฉ Chad 1๐ฐ๐ฒ Comoros 0๐จ๐ฉ Democratic Republic of the Congo 1๐ฉ๐ฏ Djibouti 0๐ฌ๐ถ Equatorial Guinea 0๐ช๐ท Eritrea 2๐ธ๐ฟ Eswatini 2๐ช๐น Ethiopia 10๐ฌ๐ฆ Gabon 0๐ฌ๐ฒ Gambia 4๐ฌ๐ญ Ghana 8๐ฌ๐ณ Guinea 1๐ฌ๐ผ Guinea-Bissau 0๐จ๐ฎ Ivory Coast 0๐ฐ๐ช Kenya 8๐ฑ๐ธ Lesotho 1๐ฑ๐ท Liberia 1๐ฒ๐ฌ Madagascar 0๐ฒ๐ผ Malawi 0๐ฒ๐ฑ Mali 6๐ฒ๐บ Mauritius 1๐ฒ๐ฟ Mozambique 0๐ณ๐ฆ Namibia 1๐ณ๐ช Niger 8๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria 25๐จ๐ฌ Republic of the Congo 1๐ท๐ผ Rwanda 4๐ธ๐น Sรฃo Tomรฉ and Prรญncipe 0๐ธ๐ณ Senegal 3๐ธ๐จ Seychelles 1๐ธ๐ฑ Sierra Leone 1๐ธ๐ด Somalia 1๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa 16๐ธ๐ธ South Sudan 2๐น๐ฟ Tanzania 2๐น๐ฌ Togo 5๐บ๐ฌ Uganda 16๐ฟ๐ฒ Zambia 4๐ฟ๐ผ Zimbabwe 2
Cities and towns
On the calendar
Shubh Vivah muhuratThe Nigerian December wedding seasonGhana, from Easter to DecemberSouth Africa, the spring and summer seasonEthiopia, the season after the rainsThe Coptic and Ethiopian Great LentRamadanGerewol (Wodaabe Courtship Festival)Umhlanga (Reed Dance)Marriage Equality, South Africa (1 December 2006)
๐ช๐น Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and 1 moreZuria
The ankle-length dress with woven hem bands worn by Tigrinya and Amhara women for weddings and holidays.Attire ยท The weeks before
๐ฌ๐ญ Ghana and 2 moreKente clothnwentoma
Hand-woven silk and cotton strips from Ghana that mark weddings and graduationsAttire ยท The ceremony
๐ฒ๐ฑ MaliWeddings in Mali
Multi-day Malian wedding traditions blending Islamic rites, civil law, and local customs with bazin attire.Rite ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ณ๐ฌ Iseyin, Nigeria and 2 moreAso okeAแนฃแป รฒkรจ
Hand-woven cloth worn by the Yoruba for weddings and formal gatheringsAttire ยท The ceremony
๐ณ๐ฌ Lagos, Nigeria and 3 moreAso ebiAsแป-แบธbรญ
Matching outfits worn by groups to show solidarity at Yoruba weddings and other ceremoniesAttire ยท The weeks before
๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria and 2 moreGeleGรจlรจ
The towering Yoruba head tie that crowns the bride and marks her status on the wedding day.Attire ยท The weeks before
๐ณ๐ฌ NigeriaIgbo traditional marriageIgba Nkwu
The multi-stage Igbo marriage process that formalizes a union through family negotiations and the wine-carrying ceremonyRite ยท Finding a match
๐บ๐ฌ UgandaGomesi
The floor-length traditional dress worn by women in Buganda and Busoga for weddings and formal events.Attire ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ณ๐ฌ NigeriaYoruba traditional weddingIgbeyawo
The multi-day Yoruba marriage ceremony featuring traditional attire, family introductions, and the Eru Iyawo gift list.Attire ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria and 1 moreOkpu Aguokpu agแปฅ
A traditional knitted cap worn by Igbo men at weddings and ceremonies to signal status and heritage.Attire ยท The ceremony
๐ฐ๐ช Kenya and 1 moreAdumuEnkipaata or Aigus
The high-jumping warrior dance performed by the Maasai at weddings and rites of passage.Performance ยท The ceremony
๐ณ๐ฌ Iseyin, Nigeria and 2 moreYoruba wedding attire
Traditional garments worn by Yoruba couples and guests to mark marriage celebrations.Attire ยท The ceremony
๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa and 1 moreShweshweSeshoeshoe
A printed cotton fabric worn by Xhosa and Sotho brides and married women in Southern Africa.Attire ยท The ceremony
๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria and 5 moreDashiki suit
The tailored tunic and trousers worn by grooms in West African and diaspora weddingsAttire ยท The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Okpu Agu: Justice kelechi achinefu, CC0, source
- Yoruba traditional wedding: Fhadekhemmy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aso oke: Wolf D., Public domain, source
- Gomesi: sarahemcc, CC BY 2.0, source
- Adumu: K15photos, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shweshwe: HelenOnline, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zuria: Kurt Bauschardt, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kente cloth: ZSM, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Igbo traditional marriage: Olugold, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weddings in Mali: HawaG, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yoruba wedding attire: Wolf D., Public domain, source
- Aso ebi: SUPREME LACE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gele: Royalesignature, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dashiki suit: Emilio Labrador, CC BY 2.0, source