Igbo

Weddings
By Isabel McLeod and Katie
Hayes
Comparison
Thesis • The wedding traditions for the Igbo tribe in
precolonial times were filled with unique African
tradition and social obligation, but in
postcolonial times, the Igbo tribe’s wedding
traditions ceased and turned into the traditional
Christian ceremony.
Pre-colonial Slide: Quotes
from Novel

• Grooms must pay the bride’s family before marrying, an example of this from the book: “In
this way Akuke's bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries” (Achebe 73).
• Grooms must also offer, “palm wine to the bride’s kinsmen” (Achebe 131).
• Before becoming officially married, Brides must have a ceremony of confession, where the
groom’s father determines if their marriage would be official (Achebe 132).
• In Igbo culture, it would be common to have more than one wife at a time, shown in the book
when talking about Okonkwo, stating that“…he had just married his third wife” (Achebe 8).
Precolonial Slide: Quotes from outside

• Igbo marriages served as the “fundamental aspect of the survival of societies” that
should be fulfilled by both men and women (Mahanta and Maut 263).
• After the marriage is confirmed and approved of, "Another evening is spent for the
payment of the bride’s price at the bride’s compound when the groom’s family hands
over the money and other agreed prerequisites" (Widjaja 5).
• Nwoye mentions how public a marriage is to the village and the bride and groom's
families by stating that "Marriages are arranged and regarded as family, rather than
private affairs" (Nwoye 310).
• According to certain social standards, "Being married is highly valued among the
Igbo" (Nwoye 310).
 Precolonial: Visuals

Palm wine
https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/beauty-health/palm-wine-
the-health-benefits-of-this-drink-will-amaze-you/z9t5beb

https://therustinti
Prince sitting with mes.com/2018/05
his four wives /15/woman-
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Polygamy woman-marriage-
Cowries in-pre-colonial-
https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Moonlight-Herbs-Cowrie- igboland-revised/
Shells/dp/B00OQZLCZC
Igbo women in precolonial
Africa
Post-Colonial: Quotes from Novel

• It is shown in the novel, Things Fall Apart, the concerning widespread of Christianity
through the Igbo tribe, stating that "[One] week [the Christians] won a handful more
converts" (Achebe 151).
• Because of the abundance in converting Igbo people, "The Christians had grown in
number" (Achebe 159).
• This shows the numerous conversions committed from the Igbo tribe, therefore leading
to the change in marriage rituals due to the influence Christianity has on weddings and
how they are to be carried out.
Post-Colonial: Quotes
from Outside
• In accordance with post-colonial rituals, "Nowadays, a church wedding follows
traditional marriage" (Widjaja 6).
• Corresponding to a traditional Christian church wedding, "During this
ceremony, the bride’s train, made up of the bride followed by her single female
friends, enters the church dancing on the music, while the guests bless the
bride’s train by throwing money over the bride and her entourage" (Widjaja 6).
• During the wedding ceremony, "The groom receives the bride at the altar for
the final church blessing by the priest" (Widjaja 6).
Post-Colonial: Visuals

Single marriage between groom and bride

http://obindigbo.com.ng/2015/12/the-importance-of-
traditional-marriage-in-igboland/
Igbo wedding taking place in a
church
Igbo Family Ceremonies and
Traditions (igboguide.org)

Throwing of money on the bride

Marriage at altar https://www.igboguide.org/HT-chapter11.htm
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/3-ways-marriages-have-been-shaped-by-
colonization-in-sub-saharan-africa/3
 Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994.

Mahanta, Pona, and Dibakar Maut. "The Impact of Colonizer on the Colonized: A Postcolonial Study of Nigerian Igbo Culture and History in Chinua Achebe’s Things

Fall Apart." (2014).

Nwoye, Chinwe MA. "Igbo cultural and religious worldview: An insiders perspective." International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology 3.9 (2011): 304-317.

Widjaja, Michael. "Traditional Family Ceremonies." IgboGuide.org, www.igboguide.org/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2021.