Until the advent of civilisation, Islam and Christianity, which has somewhat eroded some cultural practices, in the past, regardless of where one lived in Nupe land, marriages bore similarities from village to village.
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21st Century Chronicle learnt that in the old Nupe tradition, the average period to start and complete a marriage process was three to five years and within the period, the prospective groom is expected to take one big calabash of rice and guinea corn to the would-be bride’s family every year.
The prospective groom together with members of his age group would also work on the farm of his father-in-law for one year before the marriage.
One marriage rite common to the Nupes on both sides of the Niger River is ‘Yawo rufadan’ (bridal bath). It is conducted early in the morning, between 4am and 5am, by two elderly women in the family of the bride.
The would-be bride, dressed in her full length slip, is led to the bathroom and made to sit on a wooden stool. One of the women enters the bathroom, while the other stays by the door with a lamp to illuminate the room as they performed the rite.
Major items for the bridal bath are black soap mixed with camwood powder, and half a bucket of water.
“The first thing that is done is to pray for long life, prosperity and fruitfulness in child bearing for the would-be bride, before water is poured on her head,” says Hajiya Hadiza Ibrahim, who has been performing the rites in Gudugi, a village in Patigi local government area of Kwara State.
“This is done three times; and at each time, women make some noise to announce the commencement of the rite.
“After the bath, the bride will be handed a blouse, wrapper and veil to cover herself. She is then taken to greet the people in the house, after which a small pot will be placed on her head and she’ll be led outside. She will then break the pot by throwing it forward. This signifies that she has broken ties with other spinsters, and now belongs to the women’s group.”
Ibrahim said the bridal bath is very significant, as no marriage takes place without it; and it can only be performed once in a woman’s lifetime.
She further explained that if a lady becomes widowed or is separated from her husband and is to remarry, the bridal bath is not be performed on her again, as it signifies the end of spinsterhood and the beginning of a family life.
“Before the advent of Islam and Christianity, bridal bath was the only rite that signified a marriage solemnisation in Nupe land,” she added.
Another major wedding rite in Nupe land is ‘Yawo wadzhun (bridal journey).
Back in the days, marriages in Nupe land were celebrated for seven days, and the yawo wadzhun was conducted on the last day.
“It is an exclusive preserve of married women and is usually performed in an open place to accommodate many people,” says 85-year-old Umaru Tsado, a resident of Dofu village in Lavun local government area of Niger state.
“The bride’s face is covered with a veil and she is made to stand in the middle while other women form a circle around her. One of the women puts some money – usually the smallest denomination – in her palms and the other women begin to move around her, singing different songs. They go round the circle seven times and each circle has its own song.
“To perform this rite, the bride is brought back to her parents’ house on the seventh day of the marriage. It is done before ‘Yawo zhunyeli’ (the bride that escapes shame), another important rite, which is performed immediately by the bride to the groom’s house from yawo wadzhun.”
Like many African societies in the olden days, it is expected that the bride is a virgin before marriage. The Nupe have a way of confirming this, which they do on the last days of the wedding when the couple are expected to have consummated the marriage.
“A white cloth is usually spread on the bed before the consummation and a blood stain on the cloth signifies that the bride was a virgin,” Tsado said.
“The blood on the white cloth is a thing of joy to the bride’s family, especially her mother. This is called ‘Yawo zhunyeli’, and the usual practice is for all the in-laws to present a gift to the bride as a sign of their appreciation of her virginity.”
