Many people who study or are interested in the Zulu culture, or are of Zulu descent, are interested in how Zulu wedding ceremonies are performed. Sometimes the interest is simply curiosity about the general Zulu culture, other times there are couples who would like have a traditional Zulu wedding ceremony either because they want to follow the tradition of their ancestors, or for other personal reasons. There are obviously some Zulu wedding or marriage traditions that cannot be followed if done in a different country, but many of them can. This article will give you an insight on how Zulu weddings are performed. Take a few minutes out of your time and devote them in order to learn about the weddings of one of the strangest races on earth!

Zulu weddings are very traditional, and can be extremely elaborate. Zulu marriages are also much different than marriages in the western world. Zulu men, if they have the means, can have more than one wife, and can have unmarried girlfriends even if they are married. A Zulu woman cannot have more than one husband, and once married can have no other suitors.

A Zulu man must first ask a woman’s parents if he wishes to marry her. If the parents agree to the marriage, the Zulu man must pay them what is called a “lobola”, which is simply the giving to the parents something of value, such as livestock. A Zulu man who does not have anything of worth to give to the parents of a woman that he wishes to marry should not consider asking them for permission to marry their daughter. This often limits the amount of wives that a Zulu man can have. If the Zulu wedding is to take place, the entire community is alerted to the fact, and anyone who wants to can attend the wedding ceremony.

For the separate parts of the wedding ceremony, the bride will wear different outfits, although the bridesmaids and flower girls will usually just wear traditional colorful Zulu outfits during all parts of the wedding ceremony. First there is the church part of the wedding ceremony, for which the bride will wear white. After this there is another part of the wedding ceremony, which takes place in the home of the groom. For this the bride will change from her white outfit into a more colorful traditional Zulu wedding costume. At the wedding ceremony that occurs at the groom’s home, a cow is slaughtered by the groom as a symbol of accepting the bride into his home. As a symbol of becoming part of the groom’s family, the bride places money inside the stomach of the cow while witnesses look on. The bride then passes out gifts to the groom’s family as further proof that she is now part of the groom’s entire family, and not just his wife. After the ceremony that takes place in the groom’s home, the bride will usually change clothes again – often several times.

The party following the Zulu wedding is usually quite large and boisterous, and includes competitions between the bride’s family and the groom’s family. These competitions are mainly centered around singing and dancing, and are usually quite friendly. Enough cows and sheep are slaughtered and cooked for the wedding feast to accommodate a large number of people, since anyone from the community can attend. Homemade beer is prepared for guests and plenty of it flows during the celebration. Zulu weddings are happy, festive occasions for the entire community, and celebration of a wedding can go on for a long time.