About Last Weekend 💃💃💃

It was all about ToSe '18 last weekend 💃💃💃

Oh yeah! Last week was extremely busy for me but i must say the end of the week was worth every bit of the stress.

It was my eldest brother's wedding ceremony last weekend and the joy that permeated the atmosphere knew no bound.

Being the first child, we looked forward to his wedding for so long, but he took his time and took it well. He'd always say, "overtaking is allowed". Guess that's why the second son of the family overtook him some 3 years ago. And i being the last child of 4, also did over a year ago.

Well, last Friday was his traditional wedding. In Yoruba culture, it is called ìdána. Both families get to meet and it is at this event that the groom officially seeks the hands of the bride 👰 in marriage from her family.

All things being equal, the answer is usually a Yes like we got last weekend 😀😀

Wedding in Yoruba language is called ìgbéyàwó which is literally translated as the act of carrying a wife.

This is symbolic of taking responsibility over the wife cos in real sense, marriage is about taking responsibility .

One feature that is typical of traditional wedding across various ethnic divides in Nigeria is the presentation of gifts for the bride. It is called erù ìyàwó in Yoruba. The groom is usually given an Engagement List prior to the event, to serve as a shopping guide for him.

You can see large tubers of yam, a bag of rice,palm oil, vegetable oil, fish, malt, basket of fruits, box full of clothes for the bride, wine, kola-nut, honey, just to mention a few.

One of the things i enjoy about traditional weddings is the allure of traditional attires. Oh my! From the groom's flowing agbádá made from aso òkè (a hand loomed cloth) to that of his Yoruba demons 🤣🤣(groomsmen).

Need i talk about the beaded îró and bùbá of the bride, also made from aso òkè

For the grand entrance of the bride, she's ushered in, in the company of her friends with her face veiled. This is symbolic of her sexual purity; meaning it is believed she hasn't been carnally known by the groom. Don't you just love our culture?

Upon her grand entrance, she gets to thank her parents and receive their blessings as she embarks on the new phase. She's then led forth with singing to her in-laws to be welcomed into the new family and the parents of the groom are saddled with the responsibility of unveiling the bride's face and also blessing her.

You needed to have been there to savour the super sumptuous varieties of meal and drinks that we were treated to on Friday and Saturday.

Hmmmm. . . . Yummy 😋 😋

Saturday continued in this good light both in church and at the reception.

Trust me to rock the party well both as a family member and a guest.

The support from friends was massive. The groomsmen gang were there for my brother and so were the bridal train for the bride. You need friends around you to make the memory of such event as a wedding memorable for you. This must have been a friendship you've cultivated over time.

On a final note, i wish my brother and his delectable wife a blissful union that will stand the test of time. May this new phase be the best ever for you and may you never have cause to regret this decision.

P.S: Don't allow yourself to be pressured into getting married. Take your time till the right person comes along and use your waiting period to be the right person, add value to yourself and be the best you can be.

@evashinen cares.

You should check out the following also by @evashinen:

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