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Mariage in Tanzania

marriage certificate
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Updated byAnne-Lise Mtyon 01 September 2018

There are various options for wedding ceremonies in Tanzania, from locally traditional weddings to more Western-style ceremonies in churches. Before you book a wedding venue in the country, take some time to learn about the culture and values surrounding marriage in Tanzania, and ensure you adhere to the guidelines before proceeding.

Marriage Customs

Marriage customs differ throughout Tanzania depending on ethnic group. The practice of 'clan exogamy' - which is marriage outside of the clan/group - is widely practised. Traditionally in the past marriages have been pre-arranged by the bride's and groom's parents. However, arranged marriages are becoming less and less common in the country, especially in urban areas.

The bridegroom will often still present dowry (bride price) to the family of his wife-to-be, and this is typically comprised of livestock, money, clothing, local beer, and other items. The specifics are negotiated between the two families.

Wedding Ceremonies

Most traditional Tanzanian weddings take place on a Sunday, and almost always during the preferred time of year which is Shawaal. This is the tenth month of the lunar Islamic calendar. Wedding preparations may take months and can happen in a variety of forms, such as a dowry ceremony, a traditional ceremony, or a formal church wedding.

One of the Muslim wedding traditions is that the Tanzanian bride is not actually allowed to attend the wedding celebration! She remains at home, never having properly met her husband aside from seeing him through her veils, whilst the relatives celebrate the wedding in a festive manner, dancing the night away. After the ceremony, the new husband will arrive home to find his new wife waiting patiently on a bed of petals and flowers, where they will properly lay eyes on each other for the first time.

Child Marriage

Tanzania has one of the highest child marriage rates globally - almost two out of every five girls are married before their 18th birthday. The Law of Marriage Act (1971) allows for boys to marry from age 18, and girls to marry from age 14 if they have parental consent. However, child marriage is particularly high in rural areas, and children here get wed as young as 11 years of age.

Homosexual Marriage

It is strictly illegal to have a same-sex marriage in Tanzania. Sex acts between men are in fact prohibited by law and carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. There is no such ban on such relations between women. Same-sex couples are also not allowed to adopt children, have access to IVF (women) or surrogates (men), nor are gay men allowed to donate blood.

Getting Married in Zanzibar

The legal requirements for getting married in Tanzania differ depending on whether you are getting married on the mainland or in Zanzibar. If getting married in the latter, it is best advised that you, or the resort where your wedding will take place, get in touch with the Government of Zanzibar to discuss.

Details:

Regional Commissioner's Office

P.O.Box 265

Town Council

Vuga, Zanzibar

Tel: 255 24 230246/7

Useful links:



We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.

About

Anne-Lise studied Psychology for 4 years in the UK before finding her way back to Mauritius and being a journalist for 3 years and heading ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ's editorial department for 5. She loves politics, books, tea, running, swimming, hiking...

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Comments

  • Guest
    Guest3 years ago(Modified)
    Interesting article albeit one sided in parts. Because Tanzania has many ethnic groups which groups have differing traditions and practices, there're three main 'common' ways wedding ceremonies are conducted or performed: as mentioned in the article, the first is in a church - almost all recognized churches in Tanzania have to be registered by the government but one must verify especially if it is a small local church. The officiator requires to have a government license to marry anyone in that particular church. The second way is to be married at home, either by Islamic standards, Christian standards or Government standard. This may sound like a strange way to differentiate but basically which ever location you choose to be married at (the government is not biased on locations), even at the beach, you may do so if the officiator complies. Some need to get paid, some don't. Most are biased on their preferred location like at church for most Christians. The third way which coincides with the first and the second, is at the Registrar of Marriages' Office (we locals call it Bomani or Serikalini). The last time I heard about this particular way is there are limited licenses given at a given year, or rather they have set a certain amount of marriages that can be performed in these offices at any given year (this information needs to be verified because it may have changed as of April 2021). Once they reach their quota, that is it. These are the main three common ways marriage ceremonies are officiated in Tanzania, regardless of whether it is in rural or urban settings. Now, when it comes to ethnic weddings, some families and groups adhere to the government measures and some don't. Some ethnic groups consider a marriage is complete only by sending dowry. In these cases, the government respects the traditions of the people. However, as an expat who is looking to be married in Tanzania, I strongly advise for there to be a legally recognized (licensed by the government) officiator to officiate a marriage. It is likely that when you get back to your home country, you will need proof of marriage. These are papers that will prove to Tanzanian government as well that such an event took place. One thing that might be helpful to mention also is, no matter where a marriage ceremony will be performed, an announcement to the public must be provided with sufficient time elapsing. This means that, for example if a marriage will be performed at a church, the church will need to announce to the congregation and public at large of this union at least a month before the ceremony is to occur, and they usually do this three times within that month. It is not required to publish on newspapers or radio/TV, but it is assumed minimal effort has to be employed for the public benefit. This is required by law. There are some measures done for expatriates which may include providing evidence that the parties involved are not married to anyone else in their home countries at the time of the new union/ceremony.

See also

All of Tanzania's guide articles