Traditional marriage in Hausa culture is based on Islamic or Sharia law.
In Hausa culture when a young man finds the woman he intends to spend the rest of his life with, he seeks his parents’ consent. After the parents have approved of it, the other marital rites follow suit. These stages include Na Gani Ina so, Sadaki, the wedding or Daura Aure / Shafa Fatiha, and Kai Amanya.
Na Gani Ina so
This means “I have found and I love it.” This is the stage where the young man with his family members goes to the lady’s house to make their intentions known.
They carry along some items such as kolanuts, bags of salt, sweets and chocolates. If these items are accepted by the lady’s parents, it means they have agreed to give their daughter’s hand in marriage.
It is now left for the bride’s family to communicate their approval to the groom’s family. This process of communication is called “Gaisuwa.” Before this, they might have done their enquiry concerning the young man to ascertain his moral, religious, and social belief, and to also know his family background.
During this process, the bride-to-be and the groom-to-be are not allowed to have any physical contact until they are properly married. After this process, the couple become engaged and both families start working towards the wedding and setting of date. The process of fixing the wedding date is called “Sa Rana.”
Sadaki
This is the stage of paying the bride price or dowry. It usually starts with a minimum amount called “Rubu Dinar” in Hausa, ranging to the highest amount the groom can afford to pay.
The amount of money that is being paid as bride price is announced to the hearing of everyone present. The bride price could be money paid in cash or in installments or it could be labour for a Damsel.
Wedding Fatiha
The wedding date is called the Fatiha. The wedding Fatiha is organized inside the mosque after the Friday prayer (jumu’a prayer) and it consists of only men, including the groom, Father of the groom, witnesses and people who attended the jumu’a prayer.
Women are not expected to be seen in the wedding Fatiha, rather, they are to be with the bride celebrating her last day as a single and also prepare her for the married life. The bride gets to sit in the midst of her female friends, relax and paint her lovely fingers and feet with henna; her friends also paint theirs too.
The bride in Hausa is called “Amarya” whereas the groom is called “Ango.”
At the wedding reception, food and drinks are being served to the guests. In Hausa tradition, it is the duty of the groom to rent an empty house while the bride’s family takes care of the furnishing.
Kai Amarya
After the wedding ceremony, the bride is being accompanied to her husband’s home and she is welcomed by her husband’s family. They chant songs on their way and carry all the bride’s belongings with them.
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