Wedding Songs

Traditional Yoruba Wedding Songs

Do you want something out of ordinary for your wedding day? Try something exotic such as Yoruba wedding music.

Yoruba is one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa speaking the Yoruba language. Yoruba people are found predominantly in Nigeria representing around 21% of its total population.

Music and dance have an important place in worship in Yoruba Religion. The Yoruba’s singing consists of songs, lyrics and minstrels, old stories of past, lyrics about the circumstances of the present and the hopes of the future. Yoruba music is a combination of American music and traditional music such as JUJU music, one of the best known style of Yoruba music, FUJI Music and Afro-Beat.

Songs are employed in almost every event of their lives, in ceremonies, in wedding, in funeral, in wrestling, in cultivating the farm, in working, in going to war and in many other activities. Yoruba songs usually express people’s feeling of joy, sorrow or thanksgiving. Music is also closely linked to agriculture. Songs also enhance emotional and physical participation in the act of worship.

When it comes to music style, the Yoruba people have an old drumming tradition, with a characteristic use of the dundun hourglass tension drums that remind of the old tribal music. This type of music it’s also called dundun and imply using various tension drums with kettledrums also called gudugudu. The leader of an ensemble is called the iyalu and he uses the drum to speak by imitating the tonality of Yoruba. Much of Yoruba music is devoted to the Orisas of Yoruba mythology.

Work songs are predominant in traditional Nigerian music. They help workers to keep the rhythm in fields, river canoes and other activities. The most common pattern of music is the call-and-response choir, sometimes accompanied by different instruments.

In what concerns wedding, this is a social affair, with many rituals and ceremonies. The lyrics of Yoruba wedding songs differ because Yoruba has its own independency as a language. The lyrics are inspired by proverbs, praises and poetry. When it comes to dancing, Bata is one of the most practiced Yoruba traditional dances. The dance changed a lot lately depending on the influences of the areas.
Bata is a ritual form of dance for Sango, a deity in Yoruba culture. It’s kind of a communication dance between the worshipers and the worshiped deity. Other traditional wedding dances are Gbamu, Kutelu and Alujo. In the past, these dances used to be strictly sacred dances, but they are now performed at weddings, birthdays, worship rituals, naming and coronation ceremonies.

Another Yoruba dance is called Eja meaning Break and it’s played on the master drum known as Iya ilu. The dancers react to it with sharp and jerky movement of the shoulders. The feet and head are also used.

Here are some famous Yoruba Fuji and Juju songs:

Eniyan Ti Mo Feran Ju

Aimasiko

Lola Oluwa

Ko Seni To Le Di Lowo

Ere Loloja Nje

Ope Mi Koi To

Emi Orun Sokale

Oghene Me

Although the language is difficult, check the Internet, listen to samples and peak what you like best.

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