HEART OF AFRICA.....ZIMBABWEAN MARRIAGE

Zimbabwe is a racially diversified country. This means that there are many different races living in the same country. Because of this there are many different beliefs, kinds of traditions and celebration styles when it comes to ceremonies such as marriage. Back in the day before the arrival of other races in Zimbabwe, marriage was simply associated with bride wealth payments, which are transfers from (the family of) the groom to the bride's family. Unmarried daughters could therefore be considered assets who, at time of need, can be cashed in. Also it was believed that the more daughters you have the richer you actually are. Logically because when you have more daughters means more people will come to marry your daughters resulting in more money for the family especially the father. Another belief there was, was that if your daughter was a virgin the more money you could charge for the bride price which was and to this day is still called “Roora.” Because of the interaction with other cultures over the decades, the marriage culture in Zimbabwe has transformed to a somewhat an even more exciting ceremony. Infact there are actually now 4 different types of marriages.




Types of Marriages
1. Civil marriage – this is where two adults together with their two witnesses go to court and they are married. There is no need for special dress but some people even wear white gowns.
2. There is registered customary marriage – this is where two adults and their two witnesses register their marriage. This starts with the customary marriage of paying roora which may be called dowry or bride price in other parts of the world. After this, the marriage is registered.
3. There is unregistered customary marriage – this is where two adults agree to stay together with or without paying roora. In this type of marriage you also find polygamous marriages.
4. There is also Christian marriage – this is when the two are married by a pastor or priest in church. Two witnessed are also required.

Because of the different kinds of marriage styles in Zimbabwe the most common is that where people (black Zimbabwean) combine two types of marriages, that is customary and civil or customary and Christian marriage.

Customary Marriage Ceremony
Before & after
With customary it is done over period of time but not in one day. The time before the customary ceremony is very important to those who practise it. When a young man meets the girl he wants to marry, she takes him to her aunt. After sometime of knowing the young man, they exchange tokens (nhumbi) in the presence of the aunt. This can be in the form of a shirt from the young man, a blouse or dress from the girl. These they keep. This can be equated to engagement in the modern world. (it is done so that in case the boy impregnates the girl and refuses the pregnancy This can be used as proof that they were together. These tokens they keep up to the time of the actual traditional or customary marriage date which is known as “kunoroora.” The aunt (the girl’s father’s sister) finds out from the boy his totem and all other things just to make sure they are not related because she will be answerable to all that her family wants to know.
There are considerable variations in the practice of roora throughout Zimbabwe depending on which part of Zimbabwe one comes from. Paying of roora is done to cement the relationship. It is not the actual payment for the bride. Traditionally cattle were used and are still used as roora. Some people have substituted cattle for $ because of convenience (some do not have cattle pens in town and would rather have money instead). The cattle were kept to be used by the girl’s brother when he also marries a wife. The ceremony of paying roora is not a public one. A delegation from the man’s family comes to meet the delegation from the woman. There is a go between who is called a “munyai” and is chosen by both families especially the man’s side but it has to be someone who has knowledge of the other family. The munyai is usually a male and is the one who will communicate between the two families before the act
ual traditional marriage date. Paying of roora is not a once off thing. Both times the traditional ceremony is done at the girl’s home.
Initially they can pay 5 out of 10 cattle then the balance can be paid with time. (it is considered a bad omen if one pays all at once). Below is an example of what is usually paid:
Makandinzwa nani (How did you know I have a daughter) - US$ 2000
Mafukidza dumbu (for the mother) US$- 2000
Rusambo – (thats the biggest potion of roora) – 10 cattle or something equivalent e.g. US$ 10000 or more, depending on the family.
Mombe yehumai (for the mother) - US$ 1500
Mombe yechimanda (if the girl is a virgin) – US$ 1000
After the ceremony of paying roora, the bride and groom are already considered husband and wife but many would rather have the second ceremony to complete the whole marriage process. As mentioned before the customary marriage is not a public event for the whole family, so on this ceremony of paying roora, they also ask to have a white wedding and they give a date. So usually a big ceremony is done where the rest of the families of the bride and groom will be invited. If the groom’s family want to have church wedding they must pay more. But this will only be a small mount.
Wedding ceremony
A committee is formed about a few weeks after the traditional marriage and this committee will plan the wedding according to what the bride and groom will like. It can be a committee of 10 people or even more depending on what the bride and groom want.
Costume
Brides are usually dressed in a manner that cast their families in the most favourable light, for they were not representing only themselves during the ceremony but are now representing two families. So the bride will be dressed in a glamorous a white wedding gown. The groom will be wearing a tuxedo or a just a normal suite matching his best man and other men in the bridal party. The bride does not wear the same colour as her bride’s maids because it is believed that this is her day and so she should sta
Venue
Long ago weddings used to be done in two venues, one day on the bride’s side and another day on the groom’s side. Nowadays to cut costs, only one venue is chosen. This is usually a big spacious place like a hotel or a family members house which off coarse has to be big to accommodate all the family members. The number of guests depends on who the couple want to invite but usually there will be between 200 and 500 people. Some very rarely will have less than 200 guests.

Finances
The two families will combine whatever it is they have so that the wedding is a great event for the bride and groom but usually the grooms family are expected to pay more to fund the wedding. Over the years though, this has changed. Nowadays the bride’s family is doing a lot more putting into consideration that the groom’s family has already paid the bride price and all.


Events at the wedding
It is a common practice at all wedding ceremonies in Zimbabwe for the bride and grooms to have a bridal party that consists of at least 12 friends and family. These people along with the bride and the groom will dance for the guests in a synchronized manner that may have taken up to 2 months to plan. Many guests look forward to this part of the day. Speeches are very common from the bride and groom’s close friends and family, for example, speeches from the bride and grooms parents and maybe siblings and grandparents. another event that is never left out of the program is that where the gifts from the guests are opened.
The time that is both sad and very joyous for all the guests is when the bride and groom leave the wedding venue to go to their new home together…
In the days to come after the wedding is over there will be another big party thrown by the bride and groom for there close friends to celebrate that they are finally husband and wife.