Interesting Nigerian Marriage Traditions

Igbo Marriage Tradition of Fund Solicitation 
This is one
interesting marriage tradition that has been hotly debated over time and has
prevented a number of eligible suitors from marrying their love interests. The
custom is a peculiar and largely expensive one that involves presenting a list
of gift items, sometimes alongside cash, before marriage to the prospective
bride can take place. The list gets more expensive if the prospective bride is a
bachelor degree holder, and increases significantly if she has acquired a
masters or doctorate degree. Many a times, this fund solicitation has led to the
collapse of courtships after the man realizes he cannot meet up with the
challenging requirements for marriage.

The Fulani Sharo
Tradition 
In what is referred to as an ‘act of bravery’ by the groom
before he marries his bride, the potential groom is flogged publicly just before
the nuptial and is expected not to wince, cry or show he is in pain. It is
believed that this process will help prove the worth of the potential groom in
terms of strength, endurance and resilience because the nomadic Fulani are one
group of people known for their hard work, courage and discipline. The tradition
is more or less a test of the strength of the groom, and any groom who cannot
endure the required number of strokes losses out of the marriage
race.

The Traditional Wedding Act of Prostrating 
This is a
Yoruba traditional wedding act that is practiced even in modern times. Respect
is highly regarded in the Yoruba kingdom and this goes out to every man
intending to marry a Yoruba girl. The groom and his friends will have to
prostrate to the bride’s family, regardless of what they are wearing – be it
imported lace or even gold; there is simply no escaping the tradition. Usually,
after the prayers are said, the groom dances in with some of his friends and
prostrates before the bride’s family.

Custom of Not Marrying Until the
Eldest is Married 
This is mainly synonymous with the Igbo custom,
although it is currently not as widely practiced as it was in the past. It is
based on the belief that marriage should follow in order of seniority. This
tended to cause a lot of fighting and controversy when the younger sibling will
be ripe and ready for marriage with a prospective bride or potential suitor, but
will have to wait for the older sibling to marry first. Many men and women who
found themselves in such situations, decided to postpone the idea of marriage
till their elders tied the knot or, if they couldn’t wait, go ahead with the
marriage without the blessings of their family. In the case where it was the
lady that was affected, some men would prefer to leave the lady and marry
outside such tribes if they couldn’t wait for the lady’s elder sister(s) to get
married first.