THE ENCOUNTER OF IGBO TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE WITH CHRISTIANITY: INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF CHRISTIANITY ON TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE IN NENI

Abstract

Before the advent of Christianity in Igboland in 1885, the Igbos had their traditional mode of marriage.The encounter of the traditional marriage with the teachings of Christianity transformed it from itsoriginal nature; but regrettably also did not preserve some of the pertinent cultural processes thatadorned traditional marriage system. It aimed at divesting it of what it considered to be its heathenishtrappings in order to purify and Christianize it. In the case of Neni in Anaocha Local Government ofAnambra State, it was through and thanks to Ezeani Obidigbo and Chief Enechukwu Egwuekwe that theCatholic missionaries were received in Neni in 1914. They aided them accordingly in their work ofevangelization. With time, the traditional marriage gradually began to change its original coloration.Not minding that encounter with Christian religion, traditional or customary marriage still occupies afundamental place even in Christian marriage. What is done in the Christian marriage is thesacramentalization of marriage through the use of Christian rite. The researcher through the use ofdescriptive method explored into the traditional marriage in Neni before the arrival of Christianity withan aim of savouring its original content. Oral interview was also used to gather some essentialinformation. The researcher also employed the analytic method and exposed the elements that theencounter with Christianity brought to traditional marriage in Neni. All in all, traditional marriage ispresented as a fundament to Christian marriage.