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EveryShaadi

All wedding traditions

674 traditions so far, best known first. 108 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and stage of the wedding.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

🇿🇦 South AfricaUmemulo The Zulu coming of age ceremony that marks a woman as ready for marriageRite · The weeks before

🇳🇪 In-Gall, Niger and 2 moreGuérewol A week-long courtship dance where Wodaabe men display their beauty to win the attention of marriageable women.Rite · The weeks before 🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWedding customs in Ethiopia A collection of diverse marriage rites across Ethiopian tribes and the Orthodox Christian community.Rite · Finding a match

🇲🇱 MaliWeddings in Mali Multi-day Malian wedding traditions blending Islamic rites, civil law, and local customs with bazin attire.Rite · Engagement and betrothal

🇸🇿 Ludzidzini Royal Village, Eswatini and 1 moreUmhlanga The annual Swazi and Zulu gathering where young women cut reeds to preserve chastity and offer tribute labour.Rite · The eve

🇸🇿 EswatiniUmtsimbauntsimba The multi-day Swazi wedding journey where the bride joins her husband's village with songs, dances, and symbolic gifts.Rite · The weeks before

🇳🇬 NigeriaIgbo traditional marriageIgba Nkwu The multi-stage Igbo marriage process that formalizes a union through family negotiations and the wine-carrying ceremonyRite · Finding a match

🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match

Photo credits on this page

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

Guérewol: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Igbo traditional marriage: Olugold, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Weddings in Mali: HawaG, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Umhlanga: Amada44, Public domain, source
Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
Umtsimba: Cat7624, CC0, source

The weekly EveryShaadi

Every week: one wedding tradition from somewhere new, the wedding days coming up around the world, and one idea explained.