Popular Wedding Traditions of Africa

In spite of the big number of tribal communities in Africa that tend to spawn variations in traditions, there are some that remain relatively common among them.  One of these is “jumping the broom”.  This tradition was said to have originated from the Deep South during the American civil war.  As slave weddings were not permitted, an alternative form of commitment ceremony was given by this action.  The ceremony requires the couple to jump over the broom that is placed on the floor.  This is supposed to symbolize the jump from single hood to matrimony or sweeping away the old and welcoming the new.

The “knock the door” would have the male interested on a woman to knock on her door so his mother and maternal uncle can visit the girl’s family and propose marriage.   Many tribal communities in Africa follow the tradition of training young girls to become good wives.  Young girls even learn the secret codes and languages that allow them to talk with other married women in a way that cannot be understood by their husbands.

In Africa, girls can become engaged before they are even born.  African cultures encourage children to marry as young as 13 to 15 years of age or as soon as they have reached physical adulthood.  A man is also allowed to have as many as four wives if he can support them all.  Some tribal societies have wedding traditions that are extremely elaborate that last for many days while other tribes hold huge ceremonies to unite many couples at the same time.