MARRIAGE CEREMONY IN TRADITIONAL ACHINA COMMUNITY: A HERMENEUTICAL APPROACH

Abstract

Marriage institution is found in every society. It cuts across nations, tribes, creeds, race, cultures, schools of thought, era and so on. It means and portrays different thing for different people and culture. In traditional Africa, communalism is a predominant world view within which various dimensions of life are lived and appreciated. This is particularly true of the institution of marriage and the processes leading to it. Marriage ceremony in the traditional Achina community is greatly tenured by this worldview. It is within this communalist framework that the present work undertakes the hermeneutics of marriage ceremony in the traditional Achina community. This involves particularly interpreting, unveiling and discerning, the underlying meaning and implications of the various rites, processes, rituals and symbolisms of the various stages of marriage in Achina community.

Keywords: Marriage, Achina, Hermeneutics.