Colorful wedding customs in modern African countries

The marriage customs system in Africa is very complex. Islam practices polygamy, and other religions also have polygamy. In the 19th century, African society still had a large family system. Women bore heavy labor and were also in an unequal position in marriage.

Until the 19th century, in vast areas of Africa, different ethnic groups had strict restrictions on the scope of marriage. Congolese tribes prohibit men and women from the same family from marrying. The Shona people in Zimbabwe stipulate that people who worship the same totem cannot marry. The Masai people in Tanzania, who have long lived by grazing cattle, strictly adhere to intra-ethnic intermarriage. In order to safeguard the economic interests of the tribe, the Merina people of Madagascar stipulated that men could not marry foreign women. The Tambel people in Togo have both. They advocate marriage between families within the tribe, and are also allowed to "buy" their wives from other tribes at the expense of 21 baskets of millet or 4 cows. The ancient Pygmies practiced monogamy, and marriage was often between brothers and sisters of the same generation; they also practiced exchange marriage, in which a man married a woman and had to marry his sister (or cousin) to the woman's brother (or cousin) in exchange.

In the 19th century, there were roughly three ways for young men and women to marry in Africa: one was the order of their parents and the words of the matchmaker, and the parents of both men and women set a lifelong event for their children; the second was a marriage in which a man and a woman were born in free love; and the third was a marriage at the behest of a few tribes. It was a common phenomenon in African marriage customs in the 19th century that all marriages of children were organized by their parents. According to the traditional marriage customs of ancient Egypt, a man could not meet the woman directly before marriage. He could only ask a matchmaker or his mother and sisters to look at her until after the engagement could the fiancée meet.

The Haya people in Tanzania are absolutely prohibited from choosing a partner without obeying their parents 'orders. In southern Congo, when young men and women engage, in addition to the consent of their parents, they also need the consent of their uncle. If the uncle disagrees, no matter how good a couple is, they cannot get married. Finding the right person according to your own wishes was a beautiful yearning for African youth in the 19th century. Algeria girls have the right to freely choose the man they want. The Bride Temple Fair in Berber in Morocco is an "open place" for local young men and women to choose a spouse. The Karamoja people in the mountains of northeastern Uganda have unique free love styles. The young men from Karamoja came to the ball, wearing an eye-catching ostrich feather on their short curls, and putting on the skin of the wild beast they had killed with their own hands. They consciously sang and danced in front of the girl, showing off their achievements like counting family treasures, in order to finally win the girl's heart.

Among some tribes in Africa, the custom of asking for marriage was still popular in the 19th century. When the Masai people in Tanzania learned that a woman was pregnant, the parents of a boy went to discuss the marriage and set the marriage. If a girl is born in the future, she can make a perfect match; if she is born a boy, she can also become friends who are close to life and death. This phenomenon of betrothal marriage is also common among the Makonde people in Tanzania and the Tswana people in Botswana. Among the Fulani people in Cameroon and Nigeria, the custom of engaging newly born baby girls is popular.

In the 19th century, young men in Busman, South Africa, also had a unique way to save their love from women. They turned to the "Arrow of Love of Love", which cut an antelope horn about 1 cm long to make an arrow, coat it with the **** made from an ancestral secret recipe, and put it into the bowstring. When he fell in love with a certain girl, he quietly approached her and shot the arrow out of nowhere, hitting the girl in the waist. If the girl refuses, she will draw the arrow and stare angrily, and the suitor will retreat when she sees this; if the girl does not draw the arrow immediately, it means that the suitor will repay her wish.

Among the Creya people in southern Sudan, the custom of "women marrying wives" was still popular in the 19th century. Women who divorce due to infertility, or the only surviving woman in the family who hopes to continue the family line, are eligible to "marry". After a woman "marries", her social status rises and becomes the head of the household. The wife calls her "husband" and her children call her "father", but their children are all illegitimate children.

In the 19th century, among the Creans, in addition to same-sex marriage, there was also the custom of "ghost bride". That is, if a man dies young before he has a family, his family will still "marry" him. The children born to the "Ghost Bride" are certainly illegitimate children, but these illegitimate children will be named after the deceased's family names in the future and be included in their patrilineal family.

In Africa, marriage was popular in the 19th century for men to give betrothal gifts to women. Betrothal gifts vary from region to region, generally including cattle, sheep and other livestock, and sometimes some cash, clothing and various decorations for women are also added. There is a phenomenon of demanding high betrothal gifts in Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Congo and other places. Weddings in Africa usually last seven days, sometimes longer. During the wedding, drum music was played and singing and dancing all night long, making it very lively. Among residents of Mombasa Island on the southeastern coast of Kenya, the marriage custom of marrying the groom into the country has always been popular, and a grand "sending the groom" ceremony is held. The ceremony was held at night. The man's relatives and friends played drums and music, and the groom was gathered and walked towards the bride's house. In the bride sending off line, a girl dressed in a beautiful dress walked at the front in her hand, holding a copper plate containing betel nuts held by palm green leaves to ward off evil spirits. When the singing and dancing team arrived at the bride's house, both parties thanked him and then invited the groom into the bridal chamber. On candlelight night, the groom must first pass a "handshake" to see the bride: curtains are hung in front of the new bed, and the bride sits behind the bed accompanied by her female companions. At this time, the groom was going to step forward and touch the bride's hand from under the curtain, while people watched. Because the bride and female partners reach out at the same time, the groom often makes the mistake, making the guests laugh. It was not until after the groom "got it" that the curtain was removed, and amid people's laughter and blessings, the newlyweds started a new life.

In the 19th century, traditional weddings in Seychelles were famous for their "wedding parades" and "bridal chamber visits." The "Marriage Parade" is similar to the wedding ceremony in China. It is a wedding procession formed by newlyweds on their way to a banquet. There is a band at the front of the line, the groom and bride in full costumes walk in the middle, and relatives and guests behind them. The newlywed team marched on the country road, playing and playing all the way, making it very lively. "Visiting the bridal chamber" is a custom from rural France. On the day after the wedding, the groom's parents must visit the newlyweds to determine the bride's chastity. Then everyone shared a piece of festive cake and announced the good news of the bride's chastity to everyone amid cheers and firecrackers.

Among the Basari people in Togo and Xhosa people in South Africa, the custom of bride theft was still popular in the 19th century. Young men and women here do not interact with each other after getting engaged. Then the man secretly observes the girl's whereabouts, gathers his brothers and friends, and takes the girl away while it is dark. The wedding is held six days later. When a girl is robbed, whether she is willing or not, she must pretend to struggle and resist, and cry loudly, otherwise she will be considered to lack family education and be looked down upon by others. When the wedding banquet was held on the evening of the seventh day, relatives and friends were gathered, and the atmosphere was full of jubilation.