Esan Marriage

The Esan traditional marriage as it is very unique in it form, structure and rituals, yes rituals!

The introduction can be done separately or alongside the marriage on the same day. In the introduction, the bride puts on any native attire not necessarily same with the groom. They are both called out separately and asked who their object of interest is. Then they are both advised and told the implication of the lifelong union they are both about to get engaged in as it is just for the two families to know eachother. The introduction is really not spectacular in itself.

The traditional marriage is more elaborate. The bride comes out in her colourful attire. Her head is adorned with beads that cascade down her neck to her chest. The groom comes specially dressed in an attire the bride is going to put on later on in an entourage of family members and friends. Then the ritual begins. First the younger sisters or relatives of the brides will be covered up in wrappers to hide their faces and brought in for the groom to indentify if any of them is intended wife. At each presentation of the shrouded ladies the groom pays some monies to the married women who do the presentations? The women are called Omadan in Esan but in Yoruba, I don’t know what they are called. Finally the real bride is brought forward and is recognized by the groom. After that the kola is broken and the dowry is discussed usually about N5000 as the Esans believe in not selling their daughters. From the about N5000 the bride’s father gives N1000 to the bride’s mother and returns the rest to the groom to take care of the groom. Finally the bride is symbolically placed on the grooms legs ten times and on the tenth time the groom grabs the bride and refuses to let go and thereby making the father to let go off the bride. This last act is very symbolical as it means that the man has finally taken the girl from the father and she is now his wife. This marks the end of the marriage rites. Afterwards the newly married couple both goes out to the crowd waiting outside to present themselves. This is so because the parlour where the rite is performed cannot occupy everyone that is attending the marriage. Finally the bride changes to the same attire the husband is putting on and the ceremony begins. They dance, you spray money and you eat. This is the End.

By Okojie Ernest(Phd [in View], Literature. University of Ibadan)