SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIONS OF YORUBA CULTURE IN SELECTED INDIGENOUS WEDDING MUSIC AMONG EKITI PEOPLE OF SOUTH- WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

A wedding ceremony in a cultural context is one of the traditions in the form of rituals with various functions. There are meaning of connotations in the process of wedding ceremonies which are embedded in symbolic elements found during wedding ceremony. The symbols include the indigenous items, cultural performances such as dancing, drumming, singing, poetry and other musical aspects embedded in the ceremony. Wedding can be regarded as a ceremony, where two people are united in marriage. Wedding technically inaugurates marriage. This means that, wedding leads to marriage – family. Adegboye and Dare (2010) tend to allude to this position on the observation that there is much communal significance attached to ceremonies culminating in a marital union. Furthermore, the significance of the wedding rites is inherent in its capacity to bring about marriage and family. To this end, it is practiced and encouraged by most cultures, religions and states.