Introduction
A life cycle ritual happens to be an event that commemorates a transformation in an individual’s biological and sociological identity at distinct stages of life. It is more particularly associated with key biological life circumstances, including birth, youth, matrimony, and mortality. This essay elucidates the marriage customs and rituals in the context of Yoruba and Lakota while examining the similarities and disparities of these cultures, even between the two communities.
Pre-Wedding Activities and Events
The concept of marriage is regarded differently according to people’s religious beliefs and traditions. Nonetheless, marriage is predominantly accepted as a special bond between two people initiated based on the aspects of love, companionship, and trust. Its main aim is to unite the lives of two individuals emotionally, economically, and legally. The two religions have some similar ideas, but their marriage traditions are disparate. Religions.
On the one hand, the Yoruba people, situated mostly in Western Nigeria, have found ways of combining old traditions with modern customs in their marriage ceremonies. This community always anticipates these marriage ceremonies since they are joyous events that alleviate everyday life challenges. Among the Yoruba, the bridegroom, accompanied by his father and close relatives, visits the bride’s family a few months before the engagement ceremony is conducted (Asaaju 415). This visit acts as an informal introduction enabling the families to know each other and reduce tension during the engagement event.
The Yoruba engagement ceremony is conducted by a traditional master of the ceremony called Alaga Ijoko. This position is normally given to a woman relative of the bride or just a chosen stranger. Her role is to ensure the community’s customs and traditions are strictly observed during the occasion (Izzett 310). She coordinates various stages of the event, including collecting cash, introducing the bridegroom to the bride’s family, and the man’s formal request for marriage. During the ceremony, the families are also required to present the items listed for engagement.
On the other hand, the Lakota community has integrated modern themes into their customary marriage ceremonies. However, they have retained most of their traditional norms and beliefs. Among the Lakota community, marriage arrangements are normally conducted by the parents of the intended partners. These arrangements begin immediately after a man identifies a woman he plans to marry. The man and his father usually make a formal request for the bride by offering gifts such as clothing, food, blankets, and horses to her parents. After that, the bride’s parents decide whether they will reject or accept the marriage proposal for their daughter (Biolsi 44). If the man’s proposal is accepted, the bride and her father receive the gifts and divide them among close family members.
In both communities, though, the pre-wedding activity requires fewer preparations since the two families normally share some tubers of yams and a few drinks, and any other traditional foods that are specifically prepared for that occasion. In addition to introducing themselves, the group might deliberate on some details regarding the engagement and the wedding ceremony. This deliberation is not compulsory as it can be scheduled for another day.
Wedding Ceremony
The Yoruba people expect the bride and bridegroom to choose an appealing invitation card for their wedding ceremony. The card normally contains the name of the intended partners and the date and venue of the wedding. Depending on the event planners, the card might include the required dress code for that ceremony. The dress code could necessitate the bride and bridegroom’s families to wear different colored clothes to ease identification.
On the wedding day, the bridegroom sits in one of two large chairs placed in front of the guests. The chairs are skillfully adorned in elegant colors chosen by the event planner. After everyone is sited, the bride enters the hall accompanied by the bridesmaids and her friends (Agai 440). She is then introduced to the bridegroom, and she is allowed to sit in the remaining chair beside the bridegroom, a gesture that indicates they are married.
Conversely, the day of the wedding among the Lakota community consists of feasting and dancing, in which only the women and children are allowed to participate. The women normally dance, forming a large circle with four or five drummers in the center. This dance normally continues the entire day, with only a few women taking breaks to prepare food. In the evening, the intended partners inspect their new home, and the master of ceremony calls people to gather at a specified venue (Pappas 201). Once the people are gathered, four men then hold a large blanket high in the air for the bride and bridegroom to step under it. The couple then marches around the village while the master of ceremony announces and praises their marriage. After the march, the husband goes home, lights a fire, and waits for the woman to bring the bride. The arrival of the bride will show they are married, and the ceremony is concluded.
Conclusion
The marriage customs and rituals of both the Yoruba and Lakota communities are very dissimilar. Each community has its manner of introducing the bride and bridegroom and conducting the wedding ceremony. The Yoruba people request a hand in marriage by visiting the bride’s family as well as speaking to them. Conversely, the Lakota indicate their intention to marry by presenting gifts to the woman’s parents. Also, they vary in the indication of marriage, whereby among the Yoruba, the bride sits beside the bridegroom in a large chair. At the same time, among the Lakota, they both step under a blanket held by four men.
Works Cited
Agai, Jock Matthew. Rethinking Yoruba Culture in the Light of Yoruba Origins. Journal for Semitics, vol 24, no. 2, 2017, pp. 427-450. Web.
Asaaju, Morenikeji. Culture and Customs of the Yorùbá, 2018, pp. 414-415. Web.
Biolsi, Thomas. The Birth of the Reservation: Making the Modern Individual among the Lakota. Routledge, 2020.
Izzett, Alison. Family Life among the Yoruba, in Lagos, Nigeria. Social Change in Modern Africa. Routledge, 2018, Pp. 305-315.
Pappas, Jeff. Being Lakota: Identity and Tradition on Pine Bluff Reservation. University of Nebraska Press, 2019.