Like many cultures in Nigeria, marriage is an integral part of the Ujewen, one of the clans of the Urhobo kingdom, traditional practice. It is one of the final rites of passage and acceptance as a member of the community, particularly for women. When the young girls of the community are considered “ripe for marriage” a lot of rituals are set in motion to ensure that they all get hitched.
Few weeks before the ceremony which in the native dialect is called Epho- which loosely translates to “maiden circumcision ceremony”- they are displayed in the market. The young girls will be rounded up together and circumcised by the older women of the community. The girls are to remain in their parents’ homes for weeks to get healed before they continue the process.
A lady’s hair been…
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