The process of the Malian Weddings
Weddings in Mali involve various necessary customs and celebrations spread out through several days. Usually, the groom and the bride do not personally know the attendees that come to the wedding festivity because Malian families tend to be very big due to polygamy.
People’s used to say that Malian is a synonym for hospitality. The families are large. Malians do not put boundaries between each other because everyone comes from the same family.
The Beginning Process
In Mali, weddings start with the cola nut, a synonym of Mali, such as a marriage. The future husband must give cola nut to his future wife’s family to show his marriage intention like the engagement. Then he will wait a couple of days, sometimes months, to have the family approval. He will have to negotiate with the parents and convince them to let them marry their daughter.
After the family’s approval, the parents will ask the future wife if she is okay with the marriage. Then, a messenger called “Griots” will announce the good news to the husband’s family. After all of the acceptance, he will have to bring an amount of money fixed by the wife’s family to get the woman. The wife’s family will be divided to inform family and friends about the marriage.
Pre-weddings Henna
Before the wedding takes place, there is a pre-wedding henna ceremony only for women where local henna designers apply henna for the bride and the other women present at the ceremony.
Religious Marriage
This form of marriage is prevalent in the Islam religion. They are usually taking place in a mosque. In Islam weddings, both the groom and bride have to give their consent to get wedded to each other willingly. Before the wedding ceremony, cola nuts are distributed amongst the women’s family to symbolize the couple’s engagement to inform her family members of the initial meeting. During this ceremony, both the men and women remain separate from each other, while an imam officiates the marriage. Since about 90 percent of Malians are Muslim, religious marriage is considered the essential form.
Civil Marriage
It is the nonreligious, legal wedding ceremony that generally takes place at the courthouse with the presence of a legal official (judge, magistrate, mayor).
Traditional Weddings
Traditional marriage varies significantly from region to region and differs considerably between different ethnic groups. Traditional weddings usually last for a couple of days, which are typically led by an imam. Traditional marriages are a way to celebrate the newlyweds and a way for families to express their joys.
Throughout the wedding festivities, the newlywed’s family and guests sing, dance, and play traditional music outdoors until late at night. This celebration usually takes place in front of the family house of the groom and the bride. Everyone sits in a circle under a tent while being entertained by the Djembefola and Djeli (Traditional artists) who sing and praise the families in their ethnic languages.
