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How a traditional wedding works across South Africa’s cultures — the stages, who pays for what, the order of events on the day, and the customs at each step. Choose a culture to begin.
Traditional wedding programme & order of events →
See also: Lobola · Ceremonies
A Zulu wedding is not a single event but a sequence of stages that join two families over months or even years. Each sta…
A Xhosa traditional wedding, umtshato, is not a single event but a sequence of negotiations, exchanges and rituals that …
A Venda (Vhavenḓa) traditional wedding is not just a union of two people but an alliance between two families and clans,…
Among the Vatsonga (Tsonga/Shangaan people of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, southern Mozambique and parts of Eswatini and Zimbabw…
Among the Basotho (the Sesotho-speaking people of Lesotho and South Africa, especially the Free State), marriage is not …
An Ndebele traditional wedding is not a single event but an extended marriage process that unfolds over months or even y…
Among the Bapedi (Pedi) of South Africa, who speak Sepedi (Northern Sotho) and are concentrated in the Limpopo province …
Among the Swati (emaSwati) people of Eswatini and the eastern parts of South Africa (Mpumalanga), marriage is not a sing…
A Tswana traditional wedding (lenyalo la Setswana) is not a single event but a sequence of stages that join two families…