By Rita Okoye

The Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC) in Benue State has banned the practice of holding festivities in the house of a bride’s parents during traditional marriages on the ground that such party-like activities are alien to their culture.

Also, marriage expenses, including dowry and sundry issues, was pegged at N100,000. This was contained in a communiqué after its meeting last Friday at the TATC Chambers, chaired by the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse.

It reads: “The practice of holding festivities in the house of the girl’s parents popularly known as Traditional Marriage involving cutting of cake, dances, parties should be discontinued as it is alien to the Tiv way of life.

Celebration of a new wife is done by the Tiv People only in the husband’s house. Love should be the primary issue between the families concerned in marriage discussion and transaction but not money.

Therefore, total expenses on marriage including dowry or bride price (kem kwase) and all sundry issues (Azaan a kwase) which at the moment vary from one community or family to another should not exceed N100k in Tivland.”

It added that traditional marriage ceremony where bride price is to be paid shall involve only the elders of the two families concerned, stressing that the practice of inviting and bringing large numbers of friends and well-wishers to the occasion is alien to Tiv tradition and therefore abolished.