LOH 219 || From Introduction to Forever: The Cultural Essence of Yoruba Marriages

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(Edited)

The air was thick with anticipation. Voices buzzed, footsteps hurried across the compound, and the scent of freshly cooked delicacies wafted through the air. Something big was about to happen, something that would stay etched in our memories forever. It was my cousin's wedding day—a Yoruba wedding like no other.
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As a Yoruba girl from Nigeria, I had always been fascinated by the magic of Yoruba weddings. They weren’t just events; they were stories, woven with threads of tradition, honor, and love. This one, though, was different. This wasn’t just any wedding, it was personal. It was family. And so, allow me show you just how beautiful it is, through my lenses.

The Proposal Phase: A Prelude to the Union
Before the big day came the “Introduction,” or "Mo mi nmo e"as we Yoruba's like to call it. The morning it happened, the energy was already evident. Our family compound had transformed overnight after being thoroughly cleaned in anticipation. The groom’s family arrived in grand style, their entourage carrying baskets of fruits, kola nuts, and bottles of wine. The drummers at their side didn’t miss a beat, their songs filling the air with excitement and pride.

I remember watching the elders from the groom's and our families sit to exchange pleasantries, their voices measured and full of purpose. When the groom's family spoke the famous line, “We have come to pluck a flower from your garden,” the entire room chuckled knowingly. But amidst the laughter, there was a seriousness, a respect for the tradition being upheld.

As I sat in the corner grinning, I realized this wasn’t just a moment for the couple; it was a moment for two families to become one. We were expanding!

The introduction ceremony was the start of something new, a moment where our roots deepen and intertwine. On this day, a date was chosen for the engagement—the wedding itself. The elders, with wisdom etched into their years, blessed this chosen date, declaring it sacred for the union. Now tell me, what bride wouldn’t walk into her wedding day filled with joy and confidence, having received the heartfelt blessings of those who have watched her grow?

The Engagement Ceremony: A Celebration of Love and Culture
When the engagement ceremony, or Igbeyawo (Yoruba Language which translates to, "carrying the bride"), arrived, it was like stepping onto a stage where everyone knew their part. The gifts brought by the groom’s family as demanded by the bride's family were both symbolic and practical—yam tubers for sustenance, sugar for sweetness, salt for preservation, and owo iyawo (bride's price), a token of appreciation for the bride’s parents for giving their daughter good home-training. The most beautiful part of the event was the part where the bride's family returned the money (the bride's price) as a symbolic message that interprets, "our daughter is not for sale". This tells the groom and his family to treat their daughter—the bride, with affection because to her parent, she's still their precious child.
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Then came the prostration. Yoruba culture places immense value on respect, and this ritual was its ultimate expression. The groom, along with his friends, prostrated flat on the floor in front of the bride’s parents. It’s both symbolic and humorous—the friends often exaggerate their falls, eliciting laughter from the crowd. My cousin’s husband went all out, and his dramatic “faint” after prostrating had everyone in stitches. It was a perfect blend of humor and reverence.
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The moment we’d all been waiting for was the bride’s entrance. My cousin, adorned in a stunning asooke, danced into the room like royalty. Her veil hinted at the shy smile beneath, and as she knelt before her parents for their blessings, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of the moment as I watched her father become teary as he blessed her.
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The Celebration: Food, Music, and Connection
No Yoruba wedding is complete without food and music, and this one delivered in abundance. We had jollof rice, pounded yam, efo riro (vegetable soup), asaro (yam porridge) and more.

The drummers were relentless. They didn’t just play; they called out guests by their names, praising their lineage and prompting them to spray money. My aunties, with their geles tied high and tight, were not left out, they danced like queens. The energy was infectious, and soon, everyone joined in the dance.

And of course, I joined the feast and festivities, claiming my rightful place in the “foodies association.” There’s no shame in savoring every bite at a Yoruba wedding!
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A Legacy to Hold Onto
By the time the wedding ended, I found myself reflecting on what it all meant. This wasn’t just a wedding; it was a reminder of who we are as Yoruba people. Every tradition, every laugh, every prayer—it was all part of a larger story.

It made me think about my own journey. If there’s one thing I want to carry into 2025, it’s this sense of connection which I know will bring me the most important thing I hope to attain in 2025; stability. Connection to my culture. To my family. To myself. Weddings like my cousin's remind me that our heritage isn’t just something to be celebrated, it’s something to be lived and continued.

Who knows? Maybe 2025 will bring another Yoruba wedding into my life. Maybe it’ll even be my own. (Wink!)
A picture of myself

Thank you for reading!

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29 comments
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See the way I rushed to read to shout endless and loud 'Awwnnnnnnn'

...and it's not your introduction 😏😏

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We are still waiting for the groom. 😂😂😂 I'm waiting for the day he'll jump in through my windows and declare his intentions, otherwise, I no know how I wan tey find husband oh. 😂

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This is my first time hearing of the prostration. Oh nice.
By the way, please I didn’t really see the maybe at the end. I’m already on my way to give my seamstress my cloth for #mideyorubaman2025 😂

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That one too is alright, all we need do now is wait for the groom together. 😂 I know I will not marry myself.
Oh yes, the prostration part is very compulsory. The most interesting part to the bride's father in fact. 😂😂

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😂😂Alright let’s wait for the groom.

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I agree with you, weddings are not only a moment for the couple, it is for two families to become one, it is very touching what you say, on her wedding day the bride is filled with joy and confidence by blessings from those who have seen her grow up, thank you for sharing that part of the culture and customs of your country,
!LADY

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Wow, prostration is a new practice to me. In this demonstration of public respect typical in other facets of Yoruba culture like in business settings or public sporting events?

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oh no, not at all. It is mostly at an engagement ceremony. It's a way the groom and his friends honors the bride's parents to seek their permission to take their daughter and as a respect to thank them for taking care of his bride up until that level.

But, this is not applicable at other events. 😊

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View or trade LOH tokens.


@whatmidesays, You have received 1.0000 LOH for posting in Ladies of Hive. We believe that you should be rewarded for the time and effort spent in creating articles. The goal is to encourage token holders to accumulate and hodl LOH tokens over a long period of time.

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The way you have described your rituals I felt like I was seeing them with my eyes.

Prostration sounds funny and interesting. So how do they get up again? Somebody tell them to get up or they just get up themselves 😀

@whatmidesays your writing is great. Nevertheless, there are issues with image sourceing in your blog. Image should be from royalty free sites and be sourced in a way that we may excatly reach the image page.

Here is the guide for proper sourcing

https://peakd.com/theterminal/@jamerussell/easy-and-correct-minimal-sourcing

If you modify the image source within a few hours. Tag me here and lemme know

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Thank you so much for the compliments and correction! I just realized as well that the source link I added doesn't link directly to the link address. I will this correction in other articles I write, thank you so much.

They remain on the floor till the bride's father give them the permission to get up. The Yoruba fathers especially love this part. 😂

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@amberkashif I have corrected the image sourcing now, thank you!

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I love the writing in this post, and the way you describe all the different activities of weddings from your culture! I learned a lot about Yoruba celebrations, so thank you for that education! The way you tell the story of it all is delightful, too, and it was fun reading it! 😃

Pinterest is not a good source for photos, though, as that site collects images from all over the web, same as Google, and usually gives no credit to the people who own the rights to the photos. It's like quoting something from a book, and saying "This quote came from a book I found at the library" rather than giving the author's name and the book's title. The person who wrote the book should be mentioned, not the library!

I picked two photos at random from your post and rather quickly found the proper sources which should have been used rather than "Pinterest." The first photo is from the groom's Facebook page (the groom is Gospel singer Neon Adejo). The photo of the bride kneeling for her father's blessing is from the bride's website and the photo was taken by Syd and Lex Photography. Those sources should have been given rather than "Pinterest," which is nothing but a generic library of random images.

Giving proper sources is good for the people who own the rights to those images, it's good for your reputation in being accurate, and it's good for the Hive blockchain to have info that the content is legally used with proper attribution! 🙂

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Thank you so much, it makes me so happy that you were able to not only enjoy but also understand every explanation I've made in this write-up, I find that so encouraging!

And now, you have educated me as well! Thank you so much. You're wonderful at explaining by the way! Moving forward, I'm going to start sourcing my images properly using royalty free sites, I think that will be better.

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You're welcome! I am glad you reacted positively to my comment. I want all of us to succeed here, and show our best! 💖

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Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
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