Are you about to have or attend a Buganda traditional wedding and want to know “What is Kwanjula?” You are in the right place! It is the beautiful Buganda traditional wedding ceremony and is one of the types of marriages recognised in Uganda.

The Buganda tribe is one of the largest ethnic groups in Uganda. They occupy the central region of the country. They are led by a monarchy that is still recognised and deeply respected to date. The Buganda kingdom or tribe has its own set of customs, beliefs, and culture that it has held on to through generations, and one of the traditional Buganda wedding processes.

This article will answer all your questions about Kwanjula, including “what is Kwanjula?” and “what happens at a Kwanjula?” This is a step-by-step guide to tell you what you need to know!

The Search For A Right Partner

In the past, the traditional marriage process began with the families of both the man and woman looking for a partner on their behalf. Their partners could be chosen from among the families of the different acquaintances, friends, or clans after thorough research was conducted into the family history, reputation, health, and so many other key factors.

The children’s preferences about who they wanted to marry were not as important. However, in current times, that choice of partner is left to the individuals to decide and they are free to marry from different tribes, races, and even religions.

The Role of the Paternal Aunt (Senga) in Buganda Culture
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In the Buganda culture, girls are prepared for marriage from an early age. Each girl has a Senga who is a paternal aunt, whose responsibility is to start teaching her about her role as a wife from as early as the age of 15.

The Senga also remains relevant to the couple after marriage as their go-to for advice on how to handle various issues or even in the event of disagreements. These days, Sengas are sometimes rented or could be a female that the girl or woman is close to.

The First Visit Kukyala

The first step before a traditional Buganda wedding occurs, a man makes his intentions to have known to a woman through a proposal, with the “western” proposal (going down on one knee) being the most popular way of doing this. Thereafter, a woman informs her Senga first before her parents. This is because it is her Senga who is supposed to give the man access to the woman’s parents, even though these days the parents may already be aware of the man, the protocol is still observed.

When the Senga is informed of the man, she is supposed to do her research about him, his family, his and his family’s reputation, and any other important details that are necessary to know. There are some taboos in Buganda culture. These inform who to marry and not to marry in Buganda culture. Therefore as part of Senga’s research, she is supposed to make sure that his family is not one of night dancers, witches, or cannibals which are huge taboos.

As soon as the Senga has done her due diligence and is sure that the man is good enough, she then informs the woman’s parents about him and convinces them to meet him. Once they agree, the Senga organises a Kukyala first, to meet him.

A Kukyala is a visit that usually happens at the Senga‘s home, although these days, it can happen in various places. The man is invited to visit and can come with his friends but not his parents. The parents of the woman are also usually not to be present. The purpose of this visit is for the Senga to get even more acquainted with the man and to break the ice between them. The Senga prepares a meal for them and they enjoy the conversation.

Once this first visit is done, the Senga reports back to the woman’s parents to inform them of her approval of the man, to set a date for the Kwanjula which is the traditional Buganda wedding, and to find out what bride price the parents would like.

Bride Price Requirements in Buganda

In the Buganda culture, the bride price requirements to be brought to the kwanjula (traditional Buganda wedding) by the man intending to marry usually include:

• A kanzu (Traditional attire for males in Buganda) for the father
• A gomesi (Traditional Buganda dress for women) for the woman’s paternal aunties and a special one for the one that is acting as her Senga.
• The special gift that the parents request for called omutwalo. The gift requested varies from family to family. These days some families ask for a Luganda bible but in the past items such as a shield and spear or leopard’s skin or Lion’s skin were the requirement. This is because these items indicated that the man was brave and could hunt and therefore their daughter would not go hungry and would be well protected.
• A picture of the Buganda king Kabaka
• A guord of local brew (Ekita kyo Mwenge)
• A special gift for the woman whom the man intends to marry, in the form of a suitcase containing clothes. Traditionally, these are clothes she is supposed to wear when she is leaving home.

Apart from these mandatory gifts, the boy’s party can decide on some additional ones to give to the woman’s family. These gifts are usually foodstuffs brought in multiple baskets. The man is not allowed to exchange any gifts with the woman’s family until they have been accepted to become a part of their family during the traditional marriage ceremony called Kwanjula.

The Traditional Buganda Wedding: Kwanjula (introduction/ marriage)

On the Kwanjula, the man visits the woman’s family home with his brothers, sisters, friends, and any other relatives he chooses. He however does not go with his parents.  All communication during this ceremony happens in Luganda which is the language spoken in the Buganda kingdom. If the man does not know Luganda, he is expected to come with a spokesperson who is fluent in the language and will make the communication on his behalf.

When the man arrives, he is welcomed and is then supposed to look for the Senga, who will be hidden among her sisters. When he finds her, she is asked if and how she knows him and she will talk about how he is the man that intends on marrying her niece.

He then also has to look for the woman he intends to marry who is hidden among a group of women. When he finds her, she is also asked if she knows him and how she does, to which she responds by telling them how they met and how close they are. After the woman confirms knowing him, the man’s family ululates because she has not denied them. She then has to go back into the house where the rest of the women in her family are, including her mother and sisters, and stay there.

The Senga then goes to the man’s tent and searches for him as well and brings him out. It is at this point that he is supposed to introduce himself and his family to the people in attendance.

This part of the ceremony is very important and the man or his spokesperson is expected to give all the information and history about his family lineage as far as 5 generations back, even mentioning where all the dead are buried, because usually in Buganda all family members are supposed to be buried on the same burial grounds. This part of the ceremony is called Tambula nga omuganda.

After the man and his party introduce themselves, the woman’s party has to do the same. This is usually done by a male representative of the family who could be an uncle. When the introductions have been made by both families, the man’s family then asks to be accepted into the woman’s family. The act of making this request is called Tuzaba Kuzalibwa mu Maka gano, which directly translated means “We would like to be born into this home.”

If the woman’s family feels that the information that they have received is satisfactory and they are okay with all the information about the man, they welcome him and his party to the family and invite them to enter the house where they will get to meet and greet the rest of the family who remained inside, some of them including the bride’s mother, sisters and even the bride herself.

The Senga then brings them coffee berries (Emwanyi) which are to be picked up with both hands by each person, chewed, and swallowed. In the Buganda culture eating coffee berries signifies the exchanging of blood which means that the two families have become one. After eating the berries, they are given water to drink.

The groom’s party carries in their gifts and the bride comes out with her Senga, to receive her gifts. She also brings out a gift basket for the groom (Kabo ka muwala) which usually contains fruits. These days the gift basket can have wine and chocolates.

If everything goes well between the two families in the house, the spokesperson announces to all the other relatives and well-wishers outside the house that the ceremony has been successful and a celebration of the Buganda traditional wedding ensues: eating, dancing, and being merry!

The morning of taking the bride

The groom is expected to pick up his bride from her family home on an agreed date. Nowadays, that date is usually the day that the couple has planned to have their church wedding., after the traditional Buganda wedding. The bride wakes up early and enjoys a meal that her mother has prepared for her.

This meal is held with importance as it is her last meal before going to her new home. After her meal, her father carries her, and prays over her, her mother carries her and prays over her as well. On this day, she usually wears one of the gomesi dresses that the groom gave to her as a gift.

The groom picks her up before daylight and is free to be escorted by a friend. They are expected to bring a jerrican of paraffin, a lamp, and a box of matches. These items all together are traditionally known as Kasuze ka tya.

These days, when the groom picks the bride up from her family home, instead of taking her to her new home first, he drops her off where she will be getting ready for their wedding ceremony. After the wedding, reception, and celebrations, the bride will go to her new home with her husband.

We loved celebrating this beautiful traditional Buganda wedding, a Ugandan traditional wedding! You can read about traditional Lango weddings in Uganda here.