Frafra marriage
Frafra of Ghana
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The male’s family would kidnap the bride to be and take her hostage in their home. She is heavily guarded against escape while the male’s family visit her family with kola nuts, guinea fowls and tobacco to inform them of the whereabouts of their daughter. Their marriage proposal is rejected several times, with some families even daring the man to show his seriousness by impregnating their daughter.
Others, however, soon accept, paving way for the start of the marriage rites. A dog, two goats and several fowls are killed, seasoned and taken to the girl’s home in a ceremony known as the “hand running”.
The meat is then shared among all those present to eat as a sign of a joint union. The official dowry is now presented to the family consisting 4 cows, several guinea fowls, kola nuts and money. If the man’s family is unable to provide the items, the woman’s family would wait for a girl to be born from the union and retrieve their dowry.
In recent times, some families don’t force the family of the groom to provide all the marriage items. They rather encourage the man’s family to invest in the life of their daughter with the items.
