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Dowry and giftsIndia's dowry curse: Outlawed practice remains deeply entrenched - Reporters DressHBCU mascots get married during homecoming CustomsWhy Brides Are Refusing to Buy Traditional Wedding Dresses for $5,000 RitesGrooms redefine wedding wardrobes with comfort, tradition, and reusability in mind LawColumn: Va. conservatives should vote for marriage equality amendment Dowry and giftsDLSA Secretary calls for wider student awareness on Dowry Prohibition Act Mass weddingsWhy South Africans won't stop spending on celebrations Dowry and giftsNow Solar Panels given as dowry in Pakistan RitesFrom brides’ hands to a Starbucks cup: Meet Manii Basran, the mehendi artist who turned her art into a vi RitesJefferies Sees A Reason for Indian Hotels To Cheer Louder In The Upcoming Wedding Season Dowry and giftsIndia's dowry curse: Outlawed practice remains deeply entrenched - Reporters DressHBCU mascots get married during homecoming CustomsWhy Brides Are Refusing to Buy Traditional Wedding Dresses for $5,000 RitesGrooms redefine wedding wardrobes with comfort, tradition, and reusability in mind LawColumn: Va. conservatives should vote for marriage equality amendment Dowry and giftsDLSA Secretary calls for wider student awareness on Dowry Prohibition Act Mass weddingsWhy South Africans won't stop spending on celebrations Dowry and giftsNow Solar Panels given as dowry in Pakistan RitesFrom brides’ hands to a Starbucks cup: Meet Manii Basran, the mehendi artist who turned her art into a vi RitesJefferies Sees A Reason for Indian Hotels To Cheer Louder In The Upcoming Wedding Season

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

🇪🇹 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

🇳🇬 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

🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreLobololobola (Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele), mahadi (Sesotho), mahari (Swahili), magadi (Sepedi), bogadi (Setswana), lovola (Xi The livestock or cash payment from a groom's family to a bride's family that formalizes a customary marriage in SouthernGift custom · Finding a match 🇰🇪 KenyaKoito A Kalenjin dowry negotiation ritual that marks the formal agreement between families.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal

🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match 🇳🇬 NigeriaMoney marriage A practice in southern Nigeria where a girl is given in marriage to settle her family's debts.Gift custom · Finding a match

🇺🇬 UgandaGomesi The floor-length traditional dress worn by women in Buganda and Busoga for weddings and formal events.Attire · Engagement and betrothal

🇳🇬 NigeriaYoruba traditional weddingIgbeyawo The multi-day Yoruba marriage ceremony featuring traditional attire, family introductions, and the Eru Iyawo gift list.Attire · Engagement and betrothal 🇸🇸 South Sudan and 1 moreGhost marriage in South Sudan A union where a living brother stands in for a deceased groom to secure lineage and wealth.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal 🇳🇬 NigeriaFattening room A traditional Nigerian retreat where Efik women are secluded to learn skills and gain weight before marriage.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreAyie The Luo bride price ceremony where the mother accepts payment and agrees to the marriage.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇿🇲 ZambiaPolygamy in Zambia A legal form of marriage allowing one man to have multiple wives under customary law.Family role · Engagement and betrothal 🇿🇦 South AfricaCivil partnership in South Africa A legal union in South Africa that grants same-sex and opposite-sex couples the same rights as marriage.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇳 GuineaPolygamy in Guinea A polygynous marriage structure regulated by Guinean family law since 2019.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇰🇪 KenyaRecognition of same-sex unions in Kenya The legal ban on gay marriage alongside traditional female-to-female unions that persist in some communities.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇳🇬 Kano, NigeriaPolygamy in Nigeria A marital practice where men take multiple wives, legally recognized in twelve northern states under Sharia law.Family role · Engagement and betrothal 🇺🇬 Uganda and 3 morePolygamy in Uganda The legal practice of a man having multiple wives simultaneously in Uganda and neighboring nations.Family role · Engagement and betrothal 🇷🇼 RwandaPolygamy in Rwanda The traditional practice of men having multiple wives, now illegal but still found in rural areas.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreSurrogate marriage A woman marries another woman to bear children for her lineage when she cannot have them herself.Betrothal · Finding a match

🇿🇦 South AfricaPolygamy in South Africa The practice of men marrying more than one wife under customary and Islamic law in South Africa.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇭 GhanaPolygamy in Ghana A practice where a man has multiple wives, recognized under customary law but illegal under civil statutes.Family role · Engagement and betrothal 🇲🇺 Mauritius and 1 moreGeet-Gawai𑂏𑂲𑂞 𑂏𑂫𑂰𑂆 (Bhojpuri) A pre-wedding ritual of Bhojpuri-speaking people in Mauritius featuring songs and dance.Performance · Engagement and betrothal 🇺🇬 UgandaNaleyo A courtship dance of the Karamojong people where men and women jump facing each other to find partners.Performance · Engagement and betrothal

🇺🇬 UgandaLarakaraka An Acholi courtship dance where young men display agility to attract a partner.Play · Engagement and betrothal 🇺🇬 UgandaGaze A traditional dance of the Lugbara people in Northern Uganda performed at weddings and festivalsPerformance · Engagement and betrothal

🇺🇬 UgandaOkeme A lively Lango folk dance performed at weddings to bring the community together.Performance · Engagement and betrothal

Photo credits on this page

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

Yoruba traditional wedding: Fhadekhemmy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Larakaraka: Tabwoch, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Gomesi: sarahemcc, CC BY 2.0, source
Okeme: Emma Oruk, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lobolo: Iwuala Lucy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Igbo traditional marriage: Olugold, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Weddings in Mali: HawaG, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Polygamy in South Africa: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
Ayie: SteveRwanda, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

The weekly EveryShaadi

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