Tiriki Traditional Marriage Ceremony

Amongst the tiriki, a luhya sub tribe, traditional marriage practices occurred after the boy and the girl had decided to get marryies. Both parents were informed about their decision and if they were okay with it, the marriage arrangements would start immediately.

First they would set a day for the dowry discussion and later they would celebrate and may be the boy would be allowed to take his wife before the dowry was brought or denied to take the bride until the dowry was brought.

On the day of dowry discussion, the groom came to the girl’s home accompanied by his parents, uncles and friend. He was accompanied by his uncle because they represented the parents even in the case where one or both of the parents had passed on. On the other hand the bride was hidden and the  parents could attend the meeting alongside with the aunts and the girls friends.

When the meeting was still going on some relatives and some friends of the bride’s family would be in the kitchen preparing a meal that both families and would share if they reached to an agreement. The traditional meals that were prepared included, chicken, beef stew, ugali and busaa (a traditional brew among the abaluhyia).

When the meeting would be almost over and they have reached an agreement, the girl could be brought in the open and would happily be accepted by her groom, then the meeting would be called off and the celebration would start. After the celebration had ended, the in-laws were supposed to have gone by six o’clock. The boy would be allowed to go with the bride before the dowry was brought and they would be packed for some foods by the bride’s mother to the couple’s, in a basket that would be returned later with some food stuffs for the bride’s mother.

NB: Usually the bride price was not brought in full so as to cement the relationship of the two families.

Story Prepared by:
Silvia Khatetsia, Hadija Ashuma, Yvonne Jeiza,Salome Macreen and Rose Ondeche
Ruaraka High School