African tribe where a man must go through hell before marriage (5 photos)

There are still many unusual tribes in Africa that amaze with their customs and traditions. Some are interesting for their practices and ideologies, others are simply strange. However, all the tribes of Africa give this continent its uniqueness and diversity.





Among the African tribes, especially in West Africa, which are known for their extravagant rituals, the Fulani tribe can be distinguished. Other tribes do not have such difficult trials compared to the practice of Sharo, which usually precedes the marriage of a young man and a girl in the Fulani tribe.

In any part of the world, when a man proposes to his beloved, he is expected to perform certain traditional rites as dictated by custom. They differ in different African tribes: worship in the Yoruba tribe, offering a long list of items in the Igbo tribe, bride price, etc. But in the Fulani tribe everything is different - more painful, stressful and painful.



In the Fulani tribe, the bride-to-be has several ritual options from which to choose. Some of them choose a process called Sharo.

To marry in this tribe in Nigeria, you have to pay a high price, enduring severe punishment to prove what a man is willing to do for his future wife. This has always been the case, but the Fulani tribe really stood out.

Sharo has been around for a very long time, so long that it is impossible to separate this event from the tribe itself. Sometimes this process is seen as a competition, where suitors who have declared their desire to win the girl's heart compete. It helps and get blessings from her parents for marriage.



So, if the bride chooses the practice of Sharo as a test for the men, then they are invited to an elaborate ceremony with the participation of the elders, parents and all the villagers who have gathered to watch the spectacle. In those moments when there is no competition, the process also takes place for the only groom.

Men are punished by beating with wooden sticks to test their readiness for marriage. While potential suitors receive beatings, the villagers applaud every blow that lands. The better a man can bear pain, the more he deserves the respect of his people and loved ones, who then look to him as a man ready to become the "head of the family."



Usually the number of blows a man must receive is uncertain and depends on the elders. If a man cannot bear the pain and loses consciousness during the process, the upcoming wedding is canceled and the man is branded a loser, a disgrace to the tribe. This humiliation affects their future efforts to find a wife.

Sometimes the ritual gets out of control and the man dies from his injuries. At least two such cases have been documented in the last decade.



The Fulani tribes live not only in Nigeria, but also in many other African countries such as Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea and others. Therefore, the details of the ritual and traditional clothing, of course, may differ, but the main meaning is the same - to endure the beating.