Marriage Etiquette

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the wedding ceremony includes a lot of dancing and singing. Everyone goes to the groom's house after the ceremony. A cow is slaughtered as a symbol of the bride's welcome in her new home. By putting money in the stomach of a cow, the bride officially becomes a member of the new family. The wedding concludes with a ceremony known as "ukwaba," in which the bride presents special blankets to her new family.

Previously, single women in the Congo belonged to their fathers, and when they married, their ownership was transferred to the husband. In exchange for his loss of valuable labor and kinship, the man's father would give the new wife's father gifts such as knives, food, or slaves.

Men in rural areas are accustomed to having multiple wives. Most village chiefs or headmen have more than one wife. The goal is to have a large number of children who live to adulthood, providing the household with enough hands to complete the numerous chores required for survival. At times, however, women married to the same man compete for kitchens, food, affection, and children.