If you’ve ever attended a Yoruba traditional wedding, you’ll have noticed that the groom’s family come bearing loads of gifts. From tubers of yam, suitcases filled with clothes, a live goat, a Bible/Quran and more, these gifts are called eru iyawo.
We’ve always wondered what happens to all the eru iyawo (gifts presented to the bride’s family) after the Yoruba traditional wedding is over? Who takes what? How is it shared? We asked our followers and we have all the tea from brides, traditional wedding MC’s a.k.a. Alaga’s, eru iyawo vendors and wedding planners.
Post by @loveweddingsngView on Threads
Bride, @olu_damilola_ shared; “I got my box filled with clothes and shoes back. I also got the Bible, umbrella, the big tray for serving food, all the sets of cooking dish too. For the food and eatable items on the list, they were divided and shared between my parents families but I still came back to Lagos with 6 tubers of yam and 50 pieces of meat courtesy of my dad”
Threads user @tumibeautyhub consulted her mum who happens to be an Alaga (Aduke Ilealayo Alaga) and shared; “All the gifts belongs to the brides family. Goat most times reared by the brides family and is believed that as no one assists the goat to bear its children; it delivers its off springs without issue so is the daughter also going to deliver hers. Yam in most times to be divided into 2 parts…1 part for the father’s side and the second for the mothers side. Got all this info from my mum she’s an Alaga (Adukeilealayo Alaga)”
Another alaga (@joyous_alaga) shared “The tubers of yam, hampers, drinks, salt, fruits, rice and the likes in the eru iyawo list is equally shared into 3 parts. The first part part goes to the brides parents, the 2nd part goes to the bride mother families and the 3rd part goes to the bride father families (they share it amongst themselves). But in some cases, the brides parent takes the rice, oil, some tubers of yam and then leave the rest for the families to share amongst themselves. As for the suitcase, bible/Quran, the beautiful “dishes” used in presenting the (obi, Orogbo, eja and the likes) those ones goes to the bride. Then the goat, only 5% still add it to the eru iyawo list nowadays and the goat belongs to the bride parents.. 🥰
An eru iyawo vendor, @eru_iyawomi shared that the bride only gets to keep the suitcases and sets of dishes. The other items are shared amongst the brides family according to their rank. She also added that the Yoruba eru iyawo list no longer includes a goat.
Wedding planner, @theeventgirlng shared that she thinks the gifts are shared by the family members and that the goat goes to the eldest/parents. Other items such as the tubers of yam and others are divided amongst members of the family.
Do you have a different view, leave us a comment on the post on Instagram, Threads or leave a comment below, we would love to read from you.
