Traditional Marriage in Ebiraland: Everything you need to know

Traditional Marriage in Ebiraland: Everything you need to know. Ebira Traditional Marriage

Ebira People are known for their cultured and well-mannered behavior and that’s the major reason for the good name they’ve bagged over decades. this post is specifically about Traditional Marriage in Ebiraland.

This is also reflected in their mode of conduct and the good way they push up their activities when it comes to the issue of marriage, precisely their own iconic traditional marriage. The word iconic isn’t accidentally coined nor used via manipulations but it’s an adjective they’ve gotten themselves through the unique way their traditional marriage is been done.

Before an Ebira damsel or maiden rather will take a man to meet her own dear parents, there’s always first of all an honorable way of representing the good trait that’s been imbibed in her right from her root(that’s her background as an Ebira).

Tracing it back to the good old days which still remains an indelible way of conducting a traditional marriage in Ebira to date. After being asked out or approached by a man whose clear intention is to get married to you, the lady will initially not sign up the request, but would rather choose to inform her parents. That’s a clear indication that the Ebiras give more reputation to their parents’ teaching and order.

This always happens between young adults that are ripe for marriage. The Ebira’s know it deeply that marriage is rightly between a man and a woman not, a girl and a boy neither are it to be done between prepubescent children. They honor orders too.

The parents of the lady have been clearly informed, thereby creating a beautiful medium for the intending husband to come over and show himself to the family of the lady he’s intending to marry.
There’s always an avenue for her to get in touch with this lady to know when it will be right for him to see the parents.

The root via which he first met her hasn’t closed, it’s still very open for them to get in touch once again. After clarification has been made to the intending husband about his coming to her house with his family for Introduction, it is in the tradition of the Ebiras that he mustn’t come alone, rather he must come with a few elders and relatives that would take caution of things beyond their reach as young up and coming ones.

The lady Which is the wife to be married will be questioned by her parents to come and see if she actually knows the man who’s seeking her hand in marriage. Most often the actions of the lady to be engaged do look as if she knows nothing about what’s been discussed. After a consensus has been reached by both families, there will then be an assurance of them processing to kick on the marital rites that ought to be done before this lady can be termed or called a wife.
Some words of prayers can come from any of the members as a strong sign of ecstasy.

All these are processes that echo the saintly behavior of the Ebiras; it’s a remarkable sign of their well-cultured behavior and good trait. It’s a sign that depicts an adage in Ebira which says “Oze iruvo ochi azi hire ochi ni” which implies that you don’t climb a tree from its upstairs, but rather from the downside of it.
It doesn’t just symbolize that, but also shows the young up-and-coming ones that things ought not to be wrongly done. Rather should be done right as expected.

It’s also a sign of respect to the parents of the lady to be married and a great honor to the tribe that the young damsel hails from. It’s often stated that a special thing receives more honor than something so casual. This shows that the lady to be married is so precious and she ought to be handled with so much care and concern.
More also, she’s not been sold out and therefore she shouldn’t be held with levity. How beautiful is this awesome culture?

After they’ve been approved and declared worthy to get married, the intending groom will then move on to continue the payments of the marital rites to the family of his wife-to-be. That is, the needed stuff to be brought during the day which the bride price has been scheduled to hold or take place rather.

This isn’t just done immediately after the introduction. Another Special day will be speculated for it.
The day for the payment of dowry(bride price) which the Ebiras call “Ekuhi Ekehi Iresu or Ochiruvo” is Denotatively transcribed in English as “The Engagement Day” follows the introduction.

It’s a culture of the Ebiras that the groom’s family should come with some tubers of yam which is most often not less than a plot ( hundred pieces of yam), with Some Smoked Fishes, and Pieces of Salts too.
This isn’t a sign of greed or wickedness but to expressly show the family where they’re coming to marry from that a great hand of Kindness was bestowed on them by their in-laws. This is another indication of how love exists amongst the Ebiras, right from each home, among peers, cohorts, and friends, and wherever they may find themselves.

That stuff brought to them will be peacefully distributed amongst the family of the bride, the stepwives, and other relatives.

The bride price or dowry rather which is one too important to be neglected will be paid to the father as an emblem from the bride that “my father is officially giving me out to my husband, and I’m not a sign or symbol of disgrace, but an honor, a glory, and pride are what I’ve brought my family.”
Many may be wondering why it isn’t always paid to the mother or any other relatives, but it’s done that way for its utmost significance.

It is done that way to show that the father has rightfully given his daughter out to be married, she wasn’t snatched nor was she abducted.
Paying it to the father also signifies the fact that the head of the family, that is the father endorsed her departure not eternally but maritally.

All these factors are well understood by the Ebiras, its implications, its blessings if done rightly and the consequences if they decide to go against it.
This has been the thread right from time memorial. It’s an honorable way of engaging a female child to talk more about taking her maritally.

Conclusively, this has actually portrayed a sense to us that illegalities, vices, and ills including illicit affairs ain’t the things of the Ebiras as some may count. It’s actually not the foundation of the Ebiras specifically when it comes to marriage and anything related to it.