The Kola nut has evolved to be an important piece of food item in the course of African traditional weddings. When handed in West African weddings, the Kola Nut indicates respect, gratitude, and hospitality.
nWhy is it a significant item in African Traditional Weddings?
The Kola Nut is historically from tropical rainforests of West Africa. It was initially used for medicinal purposes by countless tribes in West Africa. Alas, after transcending medicinal uses, the Kola nut landed the place of a valuable symbol of love.
The Kola nut is used as a unifying symbol between couples and their families. Therefore, you’ll notice it has been widely popular during wedding ceremonies. Exchanging a Kola nut is a representation of the couple’s willingness to help heal each other and mend every eventual conflict.
There are other different symbolic attachments to the meaning of Kola Nuts at weddings.
To some cultures, sharing a Kola nut is an act performed during engagement celebrations to invite fertility into the home.
Kola nut in weddings is also a symbol of respect, healing, and unity. For instance, in Gambian weddings, if a man sees a woman he intends to marry, he first sends a kola nut as a greeting and declaration of his interest. If it is accepted, representatives of the man’s family meet with the girl’s family. They then decide on the dowry, followed by a fixed date for the “Breaking of the Kola Nut”. That is the traditional wedding. The ceremony ends with the breaking of the kola nut, which is then shared among relatives and elders.
In the 21st century, new ideas are emerging as to the use of Kola Nuts. Vast cultures now incorporate Kola Nuts on their wedding cakes, thus signifying its importance in the modern-day world.
