Many Renown Artists Gathered Together For Traditional Marriage Proposal Ceremony

Whether you are travelling to Ethiopia for a friend’s traditional Ethiopian wedding or you are engaged and looking to honour you or your partner’s Ethiopian ancestry, there are a few Ethiopian wedding customs you may add into the big day honouring your everlasting love.

To gain a better understanding of Ethiopian traditions, you might consider incorporating them into your wedding and/or other wedding-related events. It is important to keep in mind that Ethiopia is a multicultural country with a wide range of wedding traditions. In spite of the variety of traditions among the nation’s 80+ ethnic groups, “family involvement remains a common characteristic in every aspect of the wedding,” according to a study. The future groom usually brings senior members of his family to the bride’s home to make a marriage proposal as part of the Shimagelay ritual, which takes place the morning of the wedding.

In an effort to convince the bride’s parents that the groom can care for their daughter on a material, emotional, and spiritual level, the elders go into detail about the groom’s background, upbringing, and character. The bride’s family “typically resists at the door,” she claims. There is a friendly and enjoyable struggle before the bride and groom allow the groom into the house. Before going to the wedding, everyone dances and enjoys Ethiopian coffee and breakfast after he enters and presents the bride with his gift.