Igbo culture () are the
customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
, practices and
traditions of the
Igbo people
The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'',
*
*
* ''Eboans'', ''Heebo'';
natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A ...
of
southeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. It consists of ancient practices as well as new concepts added into the Igbo culture either by cultural evolution or by outside influence. These customs and traditions include the Igbo people's visual art, music and dance forms, as well as their attire, cuisine and language
dialects
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
. Because of their various
subgroups, the variety of their culture is heightened further.
Music
![Udu](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Udu.jpg)
The Igbo peoples have a melodic and symphonic musical style, which they designed from forged iron. Other instruments include
opi otherwise known as '
Oja'' a wind instrument similar to the flute,
igba
The igba is a tom-tom that has a beating surface of the same approximate diameter as a bongo. An igba may be as small as seven inches, or as tall as three feet. Traditionally, the deeper shelled igba are played with the hand, while the shorter d ...
, and ichaka.
Another popular musical form among Igbo people is highlife, which is a fusion of jazz and traditional music and widely popular in
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
. The modern
Igbo highlife
Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre which combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. It first started off in the southeast region of Nigeria, during the 1920s in Lagos. The genre is primarily guitar-based music, with rare characteris ...
is seen in the works of
Prince Nico Mbarga Dr Sir Warrior
Christogonus Ezebuiro Obinna (1947 – 2 June 1999), alias Dr. Sir Warrior, was a Nigerian Igbo highlife
Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre which combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. It first started off in the southeast r ...
,
Oliver De Coque,
Bright Chimezie,
Celestine Ukwu and
Chief Osita Osadebe, who are some of the greatest Igbo highlife musicians of the twentieth century.
There are also other notable Igbo highlife artists, like the Mike Ejeagha, Paulson Kalu, Ali Chukwuma, Ozoemena Nwa Nsugbe.
Art
Igbo Art is known for various types of
masquerade,
masks
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practi ...
and outfits symbolizing people, animals or
abstract conceptions. Igbo art is also known for its bronze castings found in the town of
Igbo Ukwu
Igbo-Ukwu (English: ''Great Igbo'') is a town in the Nigerian state of Anambra in the south-central part of the country. The town comprises three quarters namely Obiuno, Ngo, and Ihite (an agglomeration of 4 quarters) with several villages within ...
from the 9th century.
Igbo art is any body of visual art originating from the people of the Igbo.
Igbo culture is a visual art and culture
Nigeria, igbo, maschera-elmo della società mmuo, xx secolo.jpg, Helmet-mask; 20th century; Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It ...
(USA)
Nigeria, igbo, figura femminile per un tempietto, xx secolo.jpg, Female figure for a small temple, 20th century; Indianapolis Museum of Art
Igbo brass anklet.jpg, Anklet beaten from a solid brass bar of the type worn by Igbo women. Now in the collection of Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in the City of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The building was funded and constructed by local contractor Philip Horsman (1825–1890), and built on land provided by the municipal aut ...
. The leg-tube extends approx 7 cm each side of the 35 cm disc.
Bronze ceremonial vessel in form of a snail shell, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria.JPG, Bronze ceremonial vessel in form of a snail shell; 9th century; from Igbo-Ukwu
Igbo-Ukwu (English: ''Great Igbo'') is a town in the Nigerian state of Anambra in the south-central part of the country. The town comprises three quarters namely Obiuno, Ngo, and Ihite (an agglomeration of 4 quarters) with several villages within ...
; Nigerian National Museum
The Nigerian National Museum is a national museum of Nigeria, located in the city of Lagos. The museum has a notable collection of Nigerian art, including pieces of statuary, carvings also archaeological and ethnographic exhibits. Of note is a ...
(Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
, Nigeria)
Eze Onyiudo (2).jpg, Eze Onyiudo Masquerade Awka-Etiti
Awka-Etiti, historically known as ''Awka-Diedo'' (); later mentioned as ''Awka-Nkakwu'' (''Okankaku'') by colonial authors, is an affluent town comprising seven villages in Idemili South local government area of Anambra state, Nigeria. The seve ...
Mythology
While today many Igbo people are
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, the traditional ancient Igbo religion is known as
Odinani. In the Igbo mythology, which is part of their ancient religion, the supreme God is called
Chineke
Chineke (russian: Чинеке; sah, Чинэкэ, ''Çineke'') is a rural locality (a '' selo''), the only inhabited locality, and the administrative center of Chernyshevsky Rural Okrug of Vilyuysky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, loca ...
("the God of creation"); Chineke created the world and everything in it and is associated with all things on Earth. To the ancient Igbo, the cosmos is divided into four complex parts:
* Okike (Creation)
* Alusi (Supernatural Forces or Deities)
* Mmuo (Spirit)
* Uwa (World)
Alusi
![Complex sculpture Nigeria BM Af1954 23 522 img02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Complex_sculpture_Nigeria_BM_Af1954_23_522_img02.jpg)
Alusi, also known as Arusi or Arushi, are minor
deities
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
that are worshiped and served in
Igbo mythology
Ọdinani (), also ''Omenala'', ''Omenana'', ''Odinana'' or ''Ọmenani'', are the traditional cultural beliefs and practices of the Igbo people of south east Nigeria.Afulezy, Uj"On Odinani, the Igbo Religion", ''Niger Delta Congress'', Nigeri ...
. There are a list of many different Alusi that exists within each community and each has its own purpose. When there is no longer need for the deity, it is returned to its source, through the help of a Chief Priest or Dibia, who is aware of the procedure and ensures that its done properly.
Mmuo
Mmuo simply means spirit. It is either a good and godly spirit (mmuo oma) or it is an evil spirit (mmuo ojo). For example, the
Ogbanje An ''ọgbanje'' is a term in Odinani ( Igbo: ọ̀dị̀nànị̀) for what was thought to be an evil spirit that would deliberately plague a family with misfortune. Belief in ọgbanje in Igboland is not as strong as it once was, although there ar ...
spirit is seen as an evil spirit (mmuo ojo) and anyone possessed by this spirit is given spiritual attention. (Spiritual attention means a way of casting out the evil spirit through deliverance (Christian way) or through African Traditional Religion (i.e. digging out his/her “iyi uwa”. the ATR way)). Ogbanje is an Igbo (Nigeria) term that means a repeater or someone who comes and departs. Ogbanje is not a bad spirit in Igbo Cosmology. It is a word widely used to describe a kid or teenager who is claimed to die and be born repeatedly by the same person.
Yam
The
yam is very important to the Igbo as it is their
staple crop
A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and ...
. There are celebrations such as the New yam festival ( ig, Iri Ji) which are held for the harvesting of the yam.
The New Yam festival () is celebrated annually to secure a good harvest of the staple crop. The festival is practiced primarily in Nigeria and other countries in West Africa.
Traditional marriage
![Igbo fowl](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Igbo_fowl.jpg)
The traditional marriage is known as Igbankwu, or wine carrying, since it involves the bride serving up a cup of palm wine to her fiancé. Prior to the wedding, the groom must go to the bride's compound with his father before the Igbankwu day to get the bride's father's consent to marry her daughter. If the bride's father is late, in this case, the bride's brother, uncle or male relative fills in for the bride's late father, as applies to the groom. On the second visit, when kola nuts (oji Igbo) are offered, the two fathers must arrange a symbolic price for the bride.
Typically, it takes more than one evening to finalize the bride's price. The fathers bargain about the bride's price. In most cases, the bride's price is just symbolic, in addition to other requirements like kola nuts, goats, wine, fowl and so on. Normally, it takes more than one evening until the ultimate bride's price is agreed upon, after which a magnificent feast is served to both parents. When the supposed bride prize is paid, another evening is set aside for the ceremony.
in some cases, it takes about three to four visits before the bride price is finally settled.
During the ceremony, the bride's father fills a cup with palm wine, hands it over to the daughter and she is to go in search of the groom in the midst of the crowd with the wine, being distracted by the people she will have to find him so she can offer him the drink then, they will both dance to her father. On getting there, they both kneel before him and he will give them his blessings.
![Traditional wedding picture](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Traditional_wedding_picture.jpg)
After that, they both come out and dance for a while before taking their seats, then refreshment takes place followed by presentation of gifts, then a little or no speech from the MC, closing prayer and departure.
The Igbos are the most numerous inhabitants in Eastern Nigeria. They are hardworking people and are found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, and portions of Delta. They have a highly rich traditional past and have long respected culture and custom in many aspects of their daily existence. When it comes to marriage in Igbo community, there is a process that must be followed before the bride and groom are proclaimed husband and wife in accordance with local law and tradition.
Traditional attire
![Igbo attire Ezindubuisi Ebenezer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Igbo_attire_Ezindubuisi_Ebenezer.jpg)
Traditionally the attire of the Igbo generally consisted of little clothing as the purpose of clothing then was to conceal private parts, although elders were fully clothed. Children were usually nude from birth till their
adolescence
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the t ...
(the time when they were considered to have something to hide) but sometimes ornaments such as beads were worn around the waist for medical reasons.
Uli
Uli may refer to:
*Uli, Iran, a village
*Uli, Anambra, a town in Nigeria
* Uli I of Mali
* Uli (design), by the Igbo people of Nigeria
* Uli figure, from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
*Uli (food), a rice-based food
* ISO 639 code for the Ulithian ...
body art was also used to decorate both men and women in the form of lines forming patterns and shapes on the body.
With colonialism and the
Westernization
Westernization (or Westernisation), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, science, education, politics, economi ...
of Igbo culture, Western styled clothes such as shirts and trousers over took traditional clothing.
[http://culture.chiamaka.com/igboclothing.html "''Igbo People: Clothing & Cosmetic Makeup at the Time of Things Fall Apart''"]
Women
Women carried their babies on their backs with a strip of clothing binding the two with a knot at her chest. This baby carrying technique was and still is practiced by many people groups across Africa, including the Igbo. This method has been modernized in the form of the
child carrier
Various methods of transporting children have been used in different cultures and times. These methods include baby carriages (prams in British English), infant car seats, portable bassinets (carrycots), strollers (pushchairs), slings, backpacks ...
. In most cases Igbo women did not cover their chest areas. Maidens usually wore a short wrapper with beads around their waist with other ornaments such as necklaces and beads. Both men and women wore wrappers.
Men
Men would wear
loin cloth
A loincloth is a one-piece garment, either wrapped around itself or kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks. Loincloths which are held up by belts or strings are specifically known as breechcloth or ...
s that wrapped around their waist and between their legs to be fastened at their back, the type of clothing appropriate for the intense heat as well as jobs such as farming.
Men could also tie a wrapper over their loin cloth. For public occasions such as traditional weddings, men tie such materials like gorge, which is considered to be expensive, and this usually goes with'Isiagu' popular for wealthy and traditional title holders.
Modern traditional attire
![Igbo Traditional marriage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Igbo_Traditional_marriage.jpg)
Modern Igbo traditional attire is generally made up, for men, of the
Isiagu
{{Unreferenced, date=July 2008
The Isiagu, also called Chieftaincy, is a pullover shirt similar to the dashiki that is worn by Igbo people. It is usually worn on special occasions like weddings. The shirt may be long or short sleeved. Some shi ...
top which resembles the African
Dashiki
The dashiki is a colorful garment that covers the top half of the body, worn mostly in West Africa. It is also known as a Kitenge in East Africa and is a common item of clothing in Tanzania and Kenya. It has formal and informal versions and var ...
. Isiagu (or ''Ishi agu'') is usually patterned with lions heads embroidered over the clothing, It can also be plain, (usually black). It is worn with trousers and can be worn with either a traditional title holders hat (a
fez
Fez most often refers to:
* Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire
* Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco
Fez or FEZ may also refer to:
Media
* ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...
named okpu agu or agwu), or with the traditional Igbo stripped men's hat (which resembles the
Bobble hat
A knit cap is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool, it is now often made of synthetic fibers.
Foun ...
). For women, an embodied puffed sleeve
blouse (influenced by European attire) along with two wrappers (usually modern ''
Hollandis'' material) and a head scarf are worn.
Chieftaincy Title
![Igbo ichi marks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Igbo_ichi_marks.jpg)
Highly accomplished men and women are admitted into their
noble orders for people of title such as
Ndi Ozo or Ndi Nze. These people receive insignia to show their stature. Membership is highly exclusive, and to qualify an individual need to be highly regarded and well-spoken of in the community.
Apprenticeship
The Igbo have a unique form of
apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...
in which either a male family member or a community member will spend time (usually in their teens to their adulthood) with another family, when they work for them. After the time spent with the family, the head of the host household, who is usually the older man who brought the apprentice into his household, will establish ( ig, idu) the apprentice by either setting up a business for him or giving money or tools by which to make a living.
This practice was exploited by
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
ans, who used this practice as a way of trading in
enslaved people
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
.
Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano (; c. 1745 – 31 March 1797), known for most of his life as Gustavus Vassa (), was a writer and abolitionist from, according to his memoir, the Eboe (Igbo) region of the Kingdom of Benin (today southern Nigeria). Enslaved a ...
, although stolen from his home, was an Igbo person who was forced into service to an African family. He said that he felt part of the family, unlike later, when he was shipped to North America and enslaved in the
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of Kingdom of Great Britain, British Colony, colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Fo ...
.
The Igbo apprenticeship system is called Imu Ahia or Igba Boy in Igboland which became more prominent in among the Igbos After the
Nigerian civil war
The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...
. In a quest to survive the £20 policy which was proposed by
Obafemi Awolowo
Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (; 6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Yoruba nationalist and Nigerian statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement (1957-1960). Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe O ...
that only £20 be given to every Biafran citizen to survive on regardless of what they had in the bank before the war and the rest of the money were held by the Nigerian government.
Petty trade was one of the only ways to build back destroyed communities as well as Farming, but then, farming required time that was not readily available at that moment.
Basically, most people went into trading.
This Imu-Ahia/Igba Boy model was simple, it works in such a way that business owners would take in younger boys which can be relative, sibling or non-relative from same region, house them and have them work as apprentices in business while learning how it works and the secrets of the business. After the allotted time for the training was reached, 5–8 years’ time, a little graduation ceremony would be held for the Nwa Boy (the person that learnt the trade). He would also be paid a lump sum for their services over the years, and the money will be used to start a business for the Nwa Boy.
Osu caste system
Osu are a group of people whose ancestors were dedicated to serving in shrines and temples for the deities of the Igbo, and therefore were deemed property of the gods. Relationships and sometimes interactions with Osu were (and to this day, still are) in many cases, forbidden.
The Osu system can be traced far back to the days of Igbo forefathers when traditional religion was widely common and popular before
christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
penetrated the Igbo land, as we had majorly two categories of people; the freeborn, known in
Igbo language
Igbo ( , ; Igbo: ''Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò'' ) is the principal native language cluster of the Igbo people, a meta-ethnicity from Southeastern Nigeria.
The number of Igboid languages depends on how one classifies a language versus a dialect, so ...
as Nwadiala and the slaves, known in Igbo as the Osu.
To this day being called an ''Osu'' remains a stigma that prevents people's progress and lifestyles.
Calendar (Iguafo Igbo)
In the traditional Igbo calendar, a week () has 4 days () (''Eke'', ''Orie'', ''Afọ'', ''Nkwọ''), seven weeks make one month (), a month has 28 days and there are 13 months in a year. In the last month, an extra day is added.
The names of the days have their roots in the mythology of the
Kingdom of Nri
The Kingdom of Nri () was a medieval polity located in what is now Nigeria. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a third of Igboland, and was administered by a priest-king called an '' Eze Nri''. The ''Eze Nri ...
. It was believed that
Eri
Eri may refer to:
People
* Eri (biblical figure)
* Eri (given name), a Japanese feminine given name, including lists of people and fictional characters
* Eri (king), the progenitor of the Umu-Eri and Umu-Nri-Igbo ancient Nigerian city-states
* ...
, the sky-born founder of the Nri kingdom, had gone on a journey to discover the mystery of time. On his journey he had saluted and counted the four days by the names of the spirits that governed them, and so the names of the spirits (''eke'', ''orie'', ''afọ'' and ''Nkwo'') became the days of the week.
An example of a month: ''Ọnwa Mbụ''
Naming after market days
Newborn babies were sometimes named after the day of the week when born. This is no longer the fashion. Names such as ''Mgbeke'' (
maiden
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
orn
Orn or ORN may refer to:
*Orn (name), a given name and surname
* ''Orn'', the second book in Piers Anthony's trilogy Of Man and Manta
* Offshoring Research Network, an international network researching the offshoring of business processes and ser ...
on the day of Eke), Mgborie (maiden
orn
Orn or ORN may refer to:
*Orn (name), a given name and surname
* ''Orn'', the second book in Piers Anthony's trilogy Of Man and Manta
* Offshoring Research Network, an international network researching the offshoring of business processes and ser ...
on the Orie day) are commonly seen among the Igbo people. For males, ''Mgbe'' is replaced by ''Nwa'' or "Okoro" (
Igbo
Igbo may refer to:
* Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria
* Igbo language, their language
* anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria
See also
* Ibo (disambiguation)
* Igbo mythology
* Igbo music
* Igbo art
*
* Igbo-Ukwu, a ...
: Child
f. Examples of this are
Solomon Okoronkwo
Solomon Ndubisi Okoronkwo (born 2 March 1987) is a Nigerian footballer who plays for NOFV-Oberliga club CFC Hertha 06.
Career
He was discovered in 2004 by FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman, who got his guardianship and took him to Hertha BSC. In Oc ...
and
Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu (born 1 August 1976) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was a member of the Nigeria national team, and played for Nigerian team Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Dutch side Ajax, Inter Milan of Italy, ...
, two popular footballers.
Igbo masks and masquerades
There are two basic types of
masquerades, visible and invisible. The visible masquerades are meant for the public. They often are more entertaining. Masks used offer a visual appeal for their shapes and forms. In these visible masquerades, performances of
harassment
Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...
, music, dance, and
parodies
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
are acted out (Oyeneke 25).
The invisible masquerades take place at night. Sound is the main tool for them. The masquerader uses his voice to scream so it may be heard throughout the village. The masks used are usually fierce looking and their interpretation is only fully understood by the society's members. These invisible masquerades call upon a silent
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
to strike fear in the hearts of those not initiated into their society.
Kola nut (Ọjị)
Kola nut ( ig, Ọjị) occupies a unique position in the cultural life of Igbo people. Ọjị is the first thing served to any visitor in an Igbo home. Ọjị is served before an important function begins, be it
marriage ceremony
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
, settlement of family disputes or entering into any type of agreement.
Igbo Guide
Insight into Igbo Language and Culture Ọjị is traditionally broken into pieces by hand, and if the Kola nut breaks into 3 pieces a special celebration is arranged.
External links
Igboland's Culture and Language
Igboguide.org
References
{{Igbo topics
Nigerian culture
African culture by ethnic group