When talks of marriage comes up, all we think about is the happiness that ensues, the joy and laughter shared. It is indeed a good thing and even the Bible says it all. He that findeth a wife, finds a good thing…
I’m convinced God was referring to Enugu women with that verse. No doubt, marriages around the world are stupendous and beautiful and everything, but you should experience an Enugu wedding. After reading this, I’m sure all the single males out there would want to wed an Enugu woman.
Marrying an Enugu woman is a fantastic experience. Starting from getting to know the lady, to introduction, collecting of the list and so on. It is a thing of joy and also a scintillating and fun experience. It’s crucial to understand that marrying an Enugu lady entails much more than just having a great celebration with food and dancing.
The main steps to a traditional marriage that enables you to check the “Married” box in the eyes of society are broken down in this article if you are unsure of exactly how this marriage thing occurs in Enugu State.
This is a broad summary of what is available in the majority of locations around Enugu State and Eastern Nigeria. Each town has its unique peculiarities and they include:
- Make the decision to get married.
- Locate the spouse-to-be.
- First Informal Visit.
- Introduction
- Wine Carrying.
- Bride price
And that’s it, these are the steps, if you check your list, and it shows that you have done of these, then congratulations, you are very much married.
Now let’s go through these steps that have been listed, one after the other.
Make the decision to get married
This is a really obvious initial step, but you’d be surprised at how many people still aren’t sure they want to get married despite placing a call to the caterer to get more Abacha for the day or choosing their wedding colors and venue. Individual definitions of marriageable age vary, but you would be able to tell when you were truly ready to settle down.
You can also let your parents or other senior family members make the decision for you if you trust them and if it is your wish. There are a lot of people doing that now.
Locate the spouse-to-be
An additional evident point, but since getting married is a highly important decision, it is crucial to emphasize. You need to take a deep breath and select the type of person you want to spend the majority of your life with. It might be a close friend, a complete stranger, or anyone captures your attention.
If you don’t trust your judgment, you may let the folks who first advised you to get married help arrange a match. When judging a person’s character, older individuals are typically correct.
First Informal Visit
The parents of the groom visit the bride’s home and inform them of their interest in their daughter. They achieve this by employing metaphors, such as, “We have noticed a magnificent flower growing in your compound. And we’re here to request your permission to remove it.”
The bride’s parents then inquire about their daughter’s opinion on the potential husband. If the answer is yes, it means that everything is indeed going very well, and they can continue.
Introduction
After the bride permits her parents to accept the proposal, the next thing to do is the Ịkụ Aka (introduction). On this day, the groom, and his parents with some elders or spokesman visit the bride’s house, bringing with them gifts of palm wine, beer, soft drinks, and kola nuts. Everybody is formally introduced on this day, and earn the official title of ndị ọgọ (in-laws).
Meet the Kindred
The bride’s Umunna (kindred) is met by the groom and his family with refreshments and kola nuts. Typically, this occurs at the girl’s home. Following that, the bride’s family gives the groom’s family the list for the wedding.
Wine carrying
There isn’t much left on the to-do list after kola nuts. The enormous and powerful “Igba Nkwu” (wine carrying) follows. Most persons who have experienced or witnessed traditional Igbo wedding ceremonies are familiar with this day.
Friends and family are invited, and there is a lot of cooking. On this day, a lot of palm wine is consumed. In some communities, just one side offers wine jars to the other. Others see the bride and groom exchanging glasses of wine.
The groom hides among the guests on this day, and the bride is handed a cup of wine and told to find him while dodging the catcalls of the other males in attendance. This is a test of her commitment to him and an attempt to seduce her away from him.
She finds him and takes a taste before giving him the remaining wine. They then proceed in unison to the bride’s father, who bestows his blessing on the union. The marriage is, so to speak, airtight at this stage.
Paying of the Bride price
The marriage ceremony has not yet ended, though. There is also the Igwu Isi issue (bride price).
This procedure could occur before or after the wine carrying, depending on the locale. Compared to carrying wine, paying the bride price is a more private transaction.
The bride’s family visits the home of the bridegroom with drinks, and the father of the bride asks the father of the bride how much he is willing to accept in exchange for his daughter.
The father of the bride responds that his daughter is not up for sale. The bride’s father secretly removes a note from a bag of cash that the groom’s father has been holding in order to demonstrate that his daughter is not being wasted and has value. After this, congratulations, you are married.
Marriages in Enugu happen all year round but in recent times, there has been an uprise in the number of weddings and marriages that happen around December period. This is mostly because a lot of people want their friends, nuclear and extended family to be present and this happens during December when they’re sure a large amount of them would be back. So, if you want to see how it’s done, try to attend one or better yet, marry from Enugu.
