MARRIAGE IN IGBO TRIBE NIGERIA

Marriage is a legal union between a Man and a Woman coming together to live and stay together happily as husband and wife. The aim of marriage is not only for procreation. It is a sacred institution as well as a vocation, because not everybody is going to get into marriage. Religious and Priests do not marry because that is their vocation, which they heartily accepted. Unequivocally marriage is sacrosanct and very important in life.
There are many tradition and cultural settings in Nigeria and there are more than 80 tribes in Nigeria and so many different languages in Nigeria. There are three main Religion in Nigeria Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. But my Focus is on Christian marriage.

with kindness while the children in turn also love their parents and honor them.

In Nigeria marriage is one of the highly regarded traditional values. We have other values like, respect for the elders, respect for the authorities, committing no adultery, respect for human life, respect for expectant women to mention but a few. We so much believe in the sanctity of marriage and the traditional union existing and only between a Man and a Woman and not other way round, in Igbo tribe in the southeastern Nigeria from were I came from, in Africa and Nigeria in particular, that is why divorce is not so popular over here in Nigeria. Although the issue of adultery still persists which is one of the sins which has eaten deep into our Christian lives and it has destroyed many homes. The issue of adultery has caused so much traumatic and psychological problems to families in the world. It has separated many children from their parents, parents from their children and families from their homes. However in Nigeria marriage with children are highly regarded especially male children, which in our cultural and social setting the significance of their heir is what matters. Some Christians in Nigeria remarry when their wife is unable to give them children especially male. Children come from God, male or female that is what Christians should know. Marriage is not only for children, because it is also a call and ordained by God. They’re many families and homes without the fruit of marriage or childless yet they have strong faith in the lord and remain good Christians. In Nigeria some men who are about to marry normally impregnates their partner before marriage. The reason they do that is to make sure that their wife is fertile yet they called themselves practicing Christians in Nigeria. In some Catholic dioceses pregnant bride are not allowed to wear wedding gown into the church during wedding mass. This might be part of the measure to check pre marital sex and to discourage men trying the fertility of their partners before marriage.
Love is very important in marriage because a true Nigerian Christian marriage is that which all members of the family love one another.' The husband love and treat his wife with kindness, the wife love and should not usurp authority over her husband, parents should also love their children and treat them with kindness while the children in turn also love their parents and honor them.

TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE IN IGBO TRIBE

(WINE CARRYING CEREMONY)

After Christian marriage in the church the bride and the groom must have to travel to their home town in the village to perform the traditional marriage right. It is a must in Nigeria and virtually all the tribes in Nigeria observes this traditional marriage right it‘s popularly called Wine Carrying ceremony or (Igba Nkwu Nwanyi) in the southern part of Nigeria called Igbo tribe. And this tribe is mostly Christians ranging from Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Protestants and other denominations with Catholicism as the majority religion in this Igbo tribe. Traditional marriage in relation with the Christian marriage goes together. Sometimes couple performs this right with money if they don’t want to celebrate it in a bigger way but it is imperative that the bride has to take her fiancé to her kinsman and when the fiancé is very far away the member of the bridegroom must represent him and every thing will officially performed and the bride price will be paid.

IMPORTANT OF CHILDREN

Children are very sacred and important in every community, husband as the Pater Familias or head of the family in christian marriage should look after their homes and be God's fearing just like St Joseph the husband of blessed Virgin Mary and father of Jesus Christ did, for a happy marriage produces a happy parents, happy parents produces happy homes, happy homes produces happy children, happy children makes a happier family, and happier family makes a happiest society.