Xhosa Weddings

Spending a childhood in Cape Town one becomes1910 when the 'democratic' state was formed and
familiar with the local Xhosa people. So manyblack people were subjected to policies of
times along the way we forget to ask the peopleconcealed expatriation.
that walk along-side us in this beautiful country,Through the Native land law where a small
what it is that they believe and how do theypercentage of land was reserved for black people
share their moments with those they love andthe Homelands of the Ciskei and the Transkei
where do they come from.were declared settlements for the Xhosa people.
This brief look into the tradition of weddings andOnly after free and fair elections in 1994 was the
history of the people will hopefully allow you for ahomeland policy abolished and these areas were
moment to consider the cultures of those aroundintegrated into the new provinces.
us. Maybe even celebrate in the colour and spiritAs with the other African cultures the traditions
of it all.are not unalike, the Xhosa bride is required to
At the time of white settlement in the Capeshow reluctance and sadness during her wedding,
there were Xhosa groups living far inland, fromfor she is leaving her own family to go and live
1770 onwards the Trek Boers who hadwith strangers. Marriage is a traditional bond
approached from the West confronted them.between relatives of two families and the
Both the Boers and the Xhosa were stocktraditional Labola legitimises the marriage and
farmers and this led to competition for grazingensures that any children the wife may bear will
lands, which led to quarrels and then wars. By thebelong to the Grooms lineage.
middle of the 19th century all the land, which hadThe ritual of killing of animals in sacrifice marks a
been inhabited by the Xhosa people, was now infull traditional Xhosa wedding ceremony.
the hands of the white settlers. After the union in