The Tigray community, inhabitants of the Tigray Region of Northern Ethiopia, have over the years continued to hold fast to their age-old wedding traditions. Coming up are the top 10 Tigray wedding traditions that are still practised today!
10. Inheritance
Among the Tigray, inheritance follows family lines. Inheritance is determined after a funeral commemoration held one year after the demise of one spouse. The value of this inheritance is however usually diminished by the cost of the funeral commemoration.
9. Property
Next in the top 10 Tigray wedding traditions comes the issue of property. Both the man and the woman bring property into the marriage. If they divorce, however, each person takes away what he or she initially brought into the marriage.
8. Bride Service
Couples who get married for the first time shuttle back and forth between the two parental households spending time in each right after their wedding. Once the period of bride service is over, they are free to choose where they want to reside.
7. Divorce
According to Tigray wedding traditions, when a couple gets married, a guardian is selected to help reconcile any difficulties and help with property division if the marriage results in a divorce. Elders are usually called in to oversee the divorce process. Interestingly, either the woman or the man can file for divorce.
6. Contracts
Tigray marriages are both monogamous and contractual, with the contract being valid for between 7 and 12 years. Every marriage contract factors in the possibility of divorce.
5. Church Weddings
Church weddings are not common among the Tigray, despite the fact that they are predominantly Christian. Only older couples and deacons who intend to become priests have church weddings.
4. Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony is another of the top 10 Tigray wedding traditions. On the morning of the wedding, the groom and his best man arrive at the bride’s home, where they are received with a traditional song stating that no strangers will be allowed in. The groom is then compelled to use kind words so that he is allowed in, after which he gives the bride some flowers. She reciprocates with a kiss, and they walk out to the car and are then driven off to take wedding photos.
The actual ceremony lasts three days. On the first day, the main wedding day, the bride gets to wear her white gown. On the second day, both the bride and groom wear traditional wedding outfits for the traditional wedding ceremony. A week later, day 3 of the wedding ceremony takes place. This ceremony is called Hamaweti and is held for in-laws who missed the other two ceremonies.
3. Dowry
First marriages always involve a dowry payment (usually of animals) given by the bride’s family to the couple. Second marriages require equal dowry contributions from both families.
2. Virginity
Because of the Christian background of the Tigray, virginity is highly valued. In some instances, the groom may reject the bride if she is not a virgin.
1. Arranged Marriages
The parents of the bride and groom are heavily involved in planning the wedding. The bride’s parents identify a suitable partner for her and then begin negotiations with the young man’s family. If they agree, they go ahead and plan the ceremony, guest list, venue, and refreshments. Both families must approve of the marriage before it takes place, and in most cases, will carry out investigations make sure that the couple is not related by blood (up to 5 generations).
The uniqueness and significance of these top 10 Tigray wedding traditions are the reason why many present-day couples continue to incorporate them today!