Bride's Kidnapping To Spending Night With A Guest, Strange Wedding Rituals Of Himba Tribe

Himba is considered the last semi-nomadic tribe of Namibia. These are indigenous people who have an estimated population of about 50,000. They are called semi-nomadic because they have their own homes but have to relocate due to rainfall or lack of access to water. This tribe often garner headlines due to its strange wedding customs.

In the Himba tribe, a bride is kidnapped before marriage. She is kept locked in a room under high security for 100 days. During that time, the red sand is applied to her body. A video of the same is now going viral.

The bridal traditions of the Himba tribe involve the abduction of the bride and smearing her with red sand. During her isolation, the bride is pampered with new clothes and expensive jewellery. Some of the special clothing which she wears at this time is a leather headdress which is called Okori. It is usually a gift from the bride’s mother. In the video, a girl from the Himba tribe is seen sitting in a closed shed with red sand all over her body. From the toe to the hair, the girl is covered in red sand. The Frafa tribe of Ghana also follows this custom. Take a look at the video:

The netizens expressed their displeasure after watching the video. Many exposed the patriarchal nature of this Himba wedding custom. “I am very sure it was a man who came up with this tradition,” wrote one of the users in the comments section. Others commented on the depressed attitude of the girl and called it torture. “For 100 effing days? Like 3 and a half months? Nah that’s torture” wrote another.

This is not the only strange custom of this tribe. As per reports, the women in this tribe are supposed to sleep with the guests at their husband’s insistence. It is a ritual which aims to remove jealousy. As per reports by Africa Scope, a Himba man shows his gratitude to the guest by giving the Okujepisa Omukazendu treatment, which is that the wife is given to his guest to spend the night with, while the husband sleeps in another room. The women of this tribe are usually married to one man while the Himba man is the husband to two wives at the same time, hence a polygamous setup.