Zimbabwe Wedding Traditions

Wedding traditions in Zimbabwe share a common thread in terms of values, views, and experiences with other African regions. You may celebrate your heritage and honor your ancestry by incorporating your customs and traditions in your wedding ceremony and reception. Aside from performing traditional rituals, couples can also incorporate ethnic touches into its wedding program and reception. Couples should know their wedding traditions. It is important that they understand the reason behind these traditions and the history of the traditions because this will enable couples to perform the traditions more sincerely.

Here are 7 of the most common customs and traditions in a Zimbabwe Wedding.

7. Munyai

The Munyai is the messenger for the intention of the groom to marry his bride. The Munyai conveys the message and intentions of marriage (the proposal) to the bride’s family. The Munyai has to be a family member or close friend of the groom to be, but he may not need to be specifically an uncle or the father.

6. Matebele House Paintings

The Matebele House Painting is passed down from generation to generation by the mothers. It is a painting of a home. A well painted home indicates that the female of the household is a good wife and mother. The  bride is responsible for the painting of the outside gates, front walls, sidewalls, and the interior of the home.

5. Idzila

Idzila are copper and brass rings worn by the bride around her arms, legs and neck. These rings were believed to have strong powers and the wife would wear them to symbolize her bond and faithfulness to her husband once her home was built. The husband will provide this rings to the wife to show a sign of wealth.

4. Isigolwani

Isigolwani are neck hoops made of grass and covered in beads commonly worn by married women for ceremonial occasions. The Isigolwani is also worn by newly wed women whose husbands had not yet provided them with a home, or by girls who were of age to marry.

3. Mbira

Mbira plays a major role in Zimbabwe wedding tradition. The Mbira is a musical instrument made of a wooden board with staggered metal keys. Mbira is a sacred music.It is believed that this music summons the guidance from the spirits of family ancestors (vadzimu), spirits of deceased chiefs (mhondoro) and the most powerful guardian spirits.

2. Cattle

Weddings are usually celebrated with the killing of a Cattle as part of their ceremony. It is also not uncommon to see in a Zimbabwe wedding the killing of a goat or a cow, in place of a Cattle, as part of  the wedding celebration.

1. Roora

In the Shona language, Ku-Roora means “to be a partner in a marriage transaction; to acquire a wife by Shona custom.” From this word is where “Roora” is derived to have been defined as the “bride-price” or “dowry.” Roora may be money or other valuables are given to the girl’s family to legitimate or seal the marriage. It is but one component of the rich fabric of Shona custom, which defines and regulates the complex relationships between tribe, family and individual. The most common Roora is a cattle. But other gifts may include blankets, shoes, hats and suits for the woman’s parents.