ETHIOPIA - Omo Valley
Hamar Wedding
Hamar people are a tribe with unique rituals, specially for the wedding ceremony. The future husband need to pay a ‘bride wealth’ in cattle to the bride family. The wedding is also a ceremony where every man has to go through on his way to adulthood, before he can marry. Prior to the bull jumping, there is dancing of females and also young Hamar women get whipped to prove their strength. The future husband has to leap naked three times back and forth over the backs of a row of bulls. Men can marry up to 3 wives and each wife wears necklaces : 3 for the 1st wife, 2 for the second wife and 1 for the third.
BEST TIME to VISIT OMO VALLEY
BEST TIME to TRAVEL to ETHIOPIA
October to March
Preparing the bulls for the bull jumping
Bull Jumping
Bull Jumping
Woman whipped
Woman whipped
These young women have been whipped
Back of a whipped woman
2 woman arriving at the wedding ceremony
Hamar men
hamar woman
women at the wedding ceremony
man wearing the typical hamar coiffure
Women : during the wedding they danced most of the time
Hamar woman : she is the 1st wife on 3
Wedding ceremony : Men and women are separated
Hamar women
Marriage ceremony : children
Wedding : the family can stay under the shelter for the ceremony
Beautiful hamar woman
young man
young hamar women
Women are dancing for the wedding ceremony
women
Preparing the painting
Man painting the face of his friend
young women
Dancing all day
an important man of the hamar community
Hamar Men
This girl don't have any metallic necklace (only colorful beads) : it means she is not engaged
This specific neckless means the girl is engaged, but not married
This woman has 2 necklaces, meaning she is the 2nd wife on 3
This woman is the 1st wife (on 3) : the big necklace means she is the 1st one, and the 2 others means there is 2 other wifes for her husband