What You Should Know Before Marrying a Fulani Lady
There are no limits to love. We can easily communicate with individuals all around the globe these days, thanks to the advent of social media platforms. While living in separate time zones and having grown up in different cultures, we still get a chance to come across one another online via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. As a result, intercultural marriage is a regular occurrence.
Now we’ll speak about some of the most critical things you should know before marrying a Fulani woman. There are certain traditions, practices, and characteristics that are unique to each tribe that you should be aware of before you tie the knot with one of the beautiful ladies. However, it is probable that you have never heard the term “Fulani” before.
What exactly is a Fulani?
Fulani are one of the world’s biggest ethnic groups, with populations spanning the entire Sahel and most of Africa. However, the tribe is mostly located in the northern portion of Central Africa and the western half of Africa. They are found in a number of African nations, including Guinea, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, and Cameroon, among others.
The Fulani people of Nigeria, on the other hand, are mostly pastoralists who come into contact with a variety of civilizations as they travel over enormous tracts of country. Also see Muslim Wedding Traditions – Sacred Steps and Ceremony for more information.
Fulani people, who are thought to have originated in the Middle East and North Africa, number between 20 and 25 million worldwide. In other nations, the Fulani are referred to in a different way. They are referred to as Fula in the Manding language, Peul in French, Hilani in Hausa language, and Fula or Wolof in Portuguese, depending on the language spoken. The Fulani people are found all across the globe, and their language is Fulani.
The majority of Fulani people believe in Islam.
Fulani Customs Regarding Marriage
Because the Fulani are a large tribe with millions of members, they have their own traditions and customs in every part of life, including weddings. There are many crucial things to consider before marrying a Fulani girl, especially if you are unfamiliar with the culture and traditions of the region.
What You Should Know Before Marrying a Fulani Lady
1. Marriage is intended to result in a large number of children.
According to Fulani beliefs, marriage should result in a large number of children. As a result, the Fulani do not place a great value on virginity. Their goal was to produce a large number of children so that young marriage would become more popular among the Fulani.
Furthermore, for the females, sex before marriage is seen as a valuable experience to bring to the marriage table. It is sufficient to state that Fulani people are unconcerned about contraception. Reasons Why You Should Date an Asian (also available in English).
What You Should Know Before Marrying a Fulani Lady
2. Reimbursement of the Dowry
In Islamic tradition, dowry is a requirement that must be met by the groom before the wedding ceremony may take place. The quantity and type of the dowry are determined by the groom’s financial ability to pay. The Fulani culture, on the other hand, is rather different. It is mandatory for the groom to pay the dowry, known as kowgal in their language, and the bride is not permitted to move in with him until he has paid the dowry. The dowry is generally in the form of herds of cattle, and the beneficiary is usually the bride’s biological father.
3) The Flogging Ceremonies
If you’re thinking about marrying a Fulani woman, this could be the most crucial thing to know. They have a ritual known as flogging or sharo that is performed at the wedding ceremony. A groom should be flogged before he may be married to his future wife.
It demonstrates how much the Fulani value their female companions and would go to any length to protect and care for them. When it comes to protecting their wife, the guy who is capable of withstanding the agony of flogging is trustworthy. For further information, see What to Expect When Dating an Englishman.
4. Honoring the bride’s family and showing respect for them
Fulani people hail from a diverse range of cultures and places. Each country has its own set of customs in addition to its big ones. For example, the Yoruba kingdom has a unique wedding ritual that is worth mentioning.
The groom and his buddies are required to prostrate themselves before the bride’s relatives. This is just how they express their mutual regard for one another. You must physically bend your whole body till your chest reaches the ground, extending your body out like a plank of wood in order to do this. And, no matter how soiled the floor is, no one can escape the shackles of tradition in any scenario.
5. The Virginity Examination
However, while it is often believed that the Fulani do not place much emphasis on virginity, this is not true in Yoruba culture. Virginity is still considered sacrosanct and should be protected until the first night of marriage.
Something special about this occasion is that, when the two newlyweds are about to complete their first night of marriage, the groom’s whole family is waiting outside the chamber. In the meanwhile, they are waiting for him to leave the chamber and bring a blood-stained bed sheet as evidence that the bride is a virgin. However, in the present day, this is becoming less prevalent. See also Chinese Dating Etiquette for more information.
6. The eldest should be the one to tie the knot first.
It has now become a familial custom among the Igbo community. The marriage order is determined by the seniority order within the family. The younger kid will not be able to marry until the older child has done so. Fulani women who find themselves in such a predicament have two options: either they propose to their parents first and tell them she intends to marry after the older couple is married, or they continue to marriage without the approval of her family.
7. The status of a woman rises as a result of childbirth
In a Fulani custom, the prestige of the wife rises with each kid she carries, and this is particularly true when the child is a male. She is free to have as many children as she likes, since the Fulani are used to having a large number of kids. See also: Reasons Why You Should Date a Black Girl for more information.
8. They Have a Proclivity to Marry Among the Tribes
When you consider all of the crucial things to know before marrying a Fulani girl, it is clear that their culture is one of a kind. Endogamy is practiced by a large number of Fulani people. They are more likely to marry inside their own community, clan, or tribe in order to broaden their ethnic group.
9. The Main Dish of the Fulani
Fulani people mostly consume dairy products, such as fresh milk or yogurt, to supplement their diet. The Fulani females mostly hawk all of them in calabash that have been adorned and put on their shoulders. Nyiri (made of flour and eaten with soups) and latchiiri, a fermented milk dish made with maize couscous, are two more delicacies that they often consume.
If you are not a Fulani, you must be well-versed in the culture and traditions of the Fulani people before you marry a Fulani girl. Despite the fact that you like her for who she is, you may have overlooked the society in which she was raised. After learning all of this, you may want to rethink your decision.
What You Should Know Before Marrying a Fulani Lady
