Nigeria is blessed with different types of languages, religions, cultures and traditions. Nigeria has an estimated 371 tribes, the main three being Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba.
Weddings from all corners of Nigeria are commonly all-out, colorful affairs with numerous cultural activities.
Then for the bride, there is this common but old phrase ‘something new, something old, something borrowed’ which details what brides should wear for good luck.
But this does not necessarilly attribute to the African bride as she gets all the luck needed when she pays tribute to her cultural heritage through the grand exhibition of symbolic cultural attire.
READ: Tourism: Getting to know and experience the Unique Cultures and the Different Tribes in Africa
According to a publication by The Guardian, the cultural importance of an African bride’s attire emanates from her roots-the language they speak, their manner of life and living, and the way they dress.
The African continent has diverse cultures that persistently gain recognition across the globe. Each traditional group makes attires from specific fabrics that have unique colors with customary significance.
African traditional wedding dresses have distinctive entities that make the experience stand out.
The way an African bride is presented on the day of her wedding is of utmost importance, not just to the bride but all. An African bride at her wedding, through her attire, becomes a personified representation of her culture, her heritage, and her community.
Like most brides, the African bride looks forward to the “D-day” her African Prince to the awe of many, proclaims his undying love.
Perhaps this makes an interesting Romeo and Juliet tale, but the key thing here is, how does the African bride get dressed for her wedding? How does she adorn herself culturally and why? With that in mind, an African, bride is on a mission to represent her community truly in culture through her native attire.
The dynamism of culture leads to an array of gorgeous African brides with distinct styles, colours, patterns, and ways of wearing their cultural attire. This entire embrace of cultural wear is a subtle mash-up of other cultures near and far.
As brides are expected to be elegantly dressed, an Efik bride does so wearing the native Ofod Ukod Anwang and Onyonyo. These native wears worn by Efik brides in their vibrant colours mirror the culture of the people and are very peculiar to those worn by other tribes in Nigeria.
The latter is a two-piece clothing of a skirt and a top. This choice of dress is to show off the bride’s waist; the feminine qualities of the bride. The Onyonyo cultural attire is a modified Victorian fit. This graceful native attire shows off the bride’s elegance.
Both cultural wears worn by the Efik bride are beautified further by the latest traditional hairstyles and glamorous hair.
