To be Legally Married in Igboland Means Fulfilling the Cultural Demands of the Bride's Family: Meet My Friends

Two love forks meet so years back and fell in love and suddenly they started cohabitating and gave birth to 4 children two boys and 2 girls apiece, but that's not the African way of marriage. To be married in the eyes of an African man most especially in Nigeria, you must go and do the traditional rites according to the bride's culture. This is when the in-lawship institution that gives full right for the man to own the children comes in, without this the Kalabari and Okrika will not give man custody of the children. Weekends are made for marriage and being a marriage guest gives me the previlege to officially present to you Mr and Mrs. Greetings from @salvadornkpara.

Marrying Legally
After about 12 years of cohabitating, my friend have decided to marry his wife legally. Today he possess the right to own his children. Doing things legally entails the following processes in Igboland:

• Collecting the Traditional Marriage List
  The collection of traditional marriage list is usually a time for mix feelings whether in Igboland, Southeastern Nigeria or elsewhere in Nigeria. This is because the items on the list are usually beyond ones expectations and sometimes outweighs the groom-to-be's budget. The list in some family and communities are very overwhelming and scary. It ranges from #500,000 to #3,000,000. What a descent capital to start a new business, while to some, it's actually an amount of money to purchase a land for resident purpose. Whether for business or for land purchase, love makes a man do crazy things. A man can climb a mountain with his bear hands just because of love. Thou, the traditional marriage list is subject to negotiation. During this period the two families will argue and disagree when items are either not priced well or too expensive. Kolanuts are usually served during this period which is a symbol of peace and unity in the Southeastern and South-south of Nigeria. When the two families have come to a leveled ground then drinks are offered to consolidate their family ties.

• Traditional Marriage
  Since it's not a new marriage but a consolidation of an existing one, the traditional marriage was done in-doors, which is strictly for family members and some few friends alone. It's not an all invited occasion that requires setting of big canopies and cooking elaborate dishes for villagers to come and enjoy. It should be noted that the traditional marriage itself is concluded immediately the two families agree during the payment section, but people go ahead to do celebration because marriage in itself is a good thing.

Finishing Strong through Marriage Blessing
The Grand Finale of the legal marriage is the marriage blessing. It's necessary for Christians to get the blessings from God Almighty. These marriage blessings are pronounced by the Priest who invoke the presence of God to be with and protect the family on a daily basis.

Signing of the Marriage Register
The symbol of consummating a legal marriage is the marriage certificate. There were witnesses that came to assist the couples as witness. All witnesses signed the marriage certificate.

The ceremony ended in joy. Please join me celebrate with Mr and Mrs Kelechi.