MARRIAGE IN ANKOLE TRADITION

Ankole Marriages and Families.

Marriage; When girls turned eight or nine, especially among the Bahima, marriage preparations Would begin.

They were no longer free to run and play without being controlled in one way or another.

The girls were kept inside the house, where they ate millet porridge and beef and were also forced to drink a lot of milk to gain weight.

Being fat was associated with beauty, and drinking milk is said to contribute to a person's physical beauty.

As soon as the girl's breasts appeared, she was warned by her parents to refrain from sexual acts that would bring pregnancy and humiliate the family.

In the past, pregnancy before marriage was punishable by death or banishment.

A munyankole father often helped by his relatives, had to find a wife for his son by paying the required money/wealth. This dowry/wealth included two cows, three goats, and several pots of liquor among the Bairu.

Among Bahima It could be an average of two to twenty cows, depending on how rich a person was.

Marriages could be arranged by the parents of the couple or the boy and girl during adolescence.

Once the dowry is paid, the wedding preparations begin. On the wedding day, the bride's father slaughters a bull for food. Other types of food and a large amount of alcohol were prepared for the feast at the bride's house.

This is followed by another party at the groom's house where the marriage takes place.

During the wedding ceremony, the girl's aunt was required to confirm that the groom is firm in bed to handle the daughter and to ensure that the bride defended her virginity before the  official marriage.