A Ndebele Wedding

Marriage, one of the oldest of all institutions in human society has always been an excuse for pomp and celebration. A time for the renewal of philial bonds and an occasion for uniting a man and a woman in a relationship meant for a lifetime.

In Africa, among the Ndebele tribe, the wedding has three stages.

In the First stage, the bride price is fixed. The bride price is in the form of livestock or money and is paid in instalments.

The next stage consists of a period of seclusion for the bride to be. During this period, the Ndebele women teach the bride on how to be a good Ndebele wife.

The bride to be emerges from the period of seclusion arrayed in resplendent and colorful attire. She wears a "marriage blanket" around her. She will wear this blanket on only special occasions in her life. The bride is considered married only after she has delivered her first child.

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