A typical African traditional marriage ceremony involves members of the entire community. Feasting, singing, and dancing are some of the greatest features of the event.

Traditionally, there is no need for paper evidence of marriage. The whole community bears witness to the marriage, and the parents of both parties have agreed to the union.

Since there are cultural aspects from many countries, a standard adaptation of a West African marriage ceremony would be as follows:

1. The couple will walk together followed by their parents who would switch partners to symbolize the union of the 2 families. They in turn will be followed by friends of the couple, one each of the opposite sex, to the officiate to the tune of a West African (Akan Ghanaian)song. There are no maids of honor and no best man. The officiate gives a few words of personal advice to express the sentiments of the community. An incantation,which is to express proverbial ideas of marriage to spur the new couple into bold new ways of life, & to inspire other singles who are present into bold decisions of marriage, is read by someone other than the officiate.

2. An East African ( Swahili) song is sung at this time.

3. It is not customary for Africans to wear marriage rings, but if they are exchanged, the man gives to the woman a silver ring & the woman gives a gold ring to the man.   Silver equates to the female aspect of God, the Moon-Mother Goddess, personified by the Queen Mother of many African societies.  Gold personifies the Sun-male aspect of God.

4. After Consenting Words by both the parents and the couple, there is an exchange & a sip of wine in front of all to complete the symbolic union of the two families. The couple will embrace only, handshake congratulations are given and 4 or more women will interpret the West African song by throwing extra cloths, handkerchiefs or headwraps at the feet of the couple as they walk out.

5. A libation will be poured just before the feast begins. A full bottle of wine will be opened before the well wishers, from which half a glass is poured for the libation. An elderly person, because of his wisdom and rich experiences of life, officiates. He selects appropriate words & proverbs fitting for the occasion. He will pause as indicated and pour a little of the wine onto the ground before he continues to the end. The idea of a libation is to call on the ancestral heroes to bear witness to the marriage and the occasion, and to seek guidance from them.  It is the desire of the living to build the future of the past performances of the ancestors, so that the new generation can avoid as many mistakes as humanly possible. Africans do not believe that death severs the ties of kinship between the dead and the living relatives. This bond is very close and the African constantly has his ancestors in mind.

6. Drinks are exchanged between the parents of the couple & shared with the well wishers, with the parents testing them first. It is only after this that the marriage feast begins.

African-American

African- American weddings are based on defining ones own destiny in terms of historical roots and traditional culture.

As previously mentioned, Africa has such a proliferation of societies, all of which differ; that one runs the risk of generalization when one speaks of a unique and sole African American wedding ceremony derived from such a diverse African society.

However, there is a common thread in indigenous African values, views & experiences which provides uniformity. Out of this emerges 4 essentials which give meaning and significance to an African American wedding.  In addition, there are many unique and exciting "frills" that are sometimes incorporated in the wedding.

1. The Libation offering which I explained in the African wedding celebration.

2. The spiritual basis of marriage which is prayers, scriptural readings and songs.

3. Marriage is of families, not of 2 individuals and

4. Marriage is a communal event

3 and 4 were also examined under African wedding and are carried over into the African American service.

Some weddings may incorporate African language ,materials ,tools and symbols.

Some may be Traditional African, or a Mix of Traditional and European Style.

Then of course there is "Jumping the Broom" which is a popular part of African American weddings. This custom evolves from when the rites of marriage was forbidden to slaves. For them, jumping the broom became the ritual by which they pursued the passage of marriage. The broom is a household symbol in many parts of Africa. The brooms are used by some to sweep away evil. Today, the broom stands as a symbol of the ingenuity and the devotion by which African-American ancestors re-created a solemn rite under adverse conditions. However, slaves were not the only people to jump the broom. Historians record similar ceremonies among poor whites in the South as well as among itinerant laborers in New England and even among some Gypsies.