Have you ever witnessed a marriage rite in Northern Nigeria? One of the world’s intriguing traditional marriage rites in the world is what we want you to know. It is exclusively designed to meet luxury and beauty while maintaining the custom and tradition of the particular part of the North where the marriage is taking place.
Move away from the westernization in Nigeria when it comes to rites because the juicy aspect of the marriage rites in this part of the world is still rich and exciting. Kama means ”catch” in English. You must be wondering who is being caught in this rite, the bride of course.
Kama is the pre-wedding event that is organized for the groom’s family to come and catch their beautiful bride. The man and his family are not allowed to see the bride, not until they have paid the required token. Kamu is the final moment between the bride and her friends, this can be heartbreaking and that is why they ensure that the bride doesn’t go away just like that.
The bride’s face is mostly covered and her friends would haggle the groom and his family with a price to see the bride’s face. It is only when the bride price is paid that the veil of the woman is opened. The truth is, it is not in the amount of money that is paid before the bride is seen but in the exotic culture that makes Kamu, breathtaking and suspenseful. The in-laws are always at loss at what they would expect from the bride’s friends.
It can be a little harder for some families when the bride has this ‘special friends’ who would not let the groom’s family, not without a lot of pampering and pleading, these ladies can play hard to please at times. This is the beauty of Kama because no bride is cheap and can be easily bought over with money just like that in the traditional setting.
Sometimes, the friends of the bride can place her in the midst of covered up fake brides and the process of Kama begins…
Who is the right bride among all the covered ladies? It is something that the groom can easily do if he really knows his lady but this day, he may be clueless. When the groom’s family is able to identify their bride, she is all theirs and they would spray her with sweet perfumes and off they take her for a dance.
This is the beginning of the marriage proper. The uniqueness of every in-law can be seen in the way that they handle their bride during Kamu. A lot of things are involved in the setting of a Hausa wedding but it cannot be complete without Kamu.
Fashion is something that you may not miss in this pre-wedding event. The bride is gorgeously adorned with henna/Lalle decoration, which marks the beginning of her journey to bridehood. She is dressed in her traditional outfit .
Kamu is carried today like a well acted script for the bride and her friends and a fairly tale for the groom and a challenging task for the groom’s family. Everything is planned to bring out happiness and laughter at the end of the event.
In our world where every marriage is different and yet similar, the Hausa people are not left behind in making sure that we are blown apart with their Kamu preparation. You cannot beat the experience than witnessing it first hand; the colours, the multi-city( Yeah! Kamu can be conducted in any city in the world including the lovers’ city, Paris), the blending of culture and the pre-wedding photography.
Kamu is beyond a dream pre-wedding these days when it is organized well. We must confess, the girls of these days have hyped this ceremony in such way that looking at the memories through pictures can only tell you that Kamu is one step to a successful wedding.
If you have a Hausa friend who is about getting married, do not fail to attend the Kamu ceremony. Life is beautiful and this Hausa wedding rites just proved that.
