Himba bride and bridesmaids
The Himba
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Among the Himba, the bride is kidnapped and given new clothes. Her mother also gives her a leather headdress called “Okori”. She is pampered and her skin is smeared with fat and herbs and adorned with jewellery.
Meanwhile, the groom also stays secluded as he cleans and treats goat hide which he will present to his soon-to-be wife and mother-in-law, to make skirts with.
On the first morning of the wedding, the father of the bride slaughters a goat and shares the meat among the village folk. He gives the goat offal to his daughter and other women of childbearing age. The young ladies wear the offal on their heads as a sign of respect for the bride’s father.
The groom’s family also smear fat and a red paste on her body. Once she stops wearing the red paste on her body, it signifies that she has been welcomed and accepted into her husband’s home.
