A video clip of a wedding in Northern Ghana has gone viral on social media. On the surface of it, the video contains all shades of wrongs that could make anyone seethe with anger. Well, until those who know what is going on provide convincing explanations for the event.
In the trending video, a lady interrupts the groom’s dance and refuses to yield space to the bride on the dance floor!
Young men, presumably friends and relations of the couple seem to appeal to the woman who refuses to “gree” for the bride.
At some point, a man dips hands into his bag as if he wants to bring out money, pats the ‘intruder’ on the back with the hope of getting her out of the bride’s way, but the efforts didn’t yield the desired effect!
At one point, the groom managed to lean over to whisper something into his bride’s ear, even as ‘Madam Dancer’ continues to hover all over the groom’s face! To worsen it all, she is dressed in white, as if truly competing with the bride.
The bride, obviously at home with what is happening, dances solo, smiling, and unruffled.
Naturally, netizens were appalled; however, in a surprising twist, locals from the region came forward to clarify that the event is a traditional practice in their community.
According to the groom, Salman, who identifies as @Salmaanfaris1 on X (formerly Twitter) says it is not a scene of marital discord but a playful tradition known as Da’chahili.
According to online sources, Da’chahili is a traditional practice among the Dagomba people of Northern Ghana. It’s a lighthearted and playful custom where a female cousin or relative interrupts the groom’s dance during a wedding celebration. This act symbolises the relation’s playful “claim” on the groom, acknowledging their familial bond.
@Salmaanfaris1 the groom explains, “It’s our culture … she’s my wife from my family.. before I marry another woman, I need to pay her.”
Another X User, who tweets anonymously as #KDagbon, said, “No. The groom is our son, Salmaan. This is neither Islamic nor attributable to some side chick saga.”
He added, “It’s a “Dagbanli” tradition known as “Da’chahili”. It’s all play. They are probably cousins. It’s also an opportunity for her to have made money, a lot of money .”
KoyoKoyo who tweets as HelKoybut added, “They “wanted” her to stop, but they needed to pay her adequately. She didn’t go overboard, she played her part perfectly. The groom couldn’t get away that easily. His family and the bride also played their parts perfectly. To outsiders, it looked like a real scuffle was going on.”
Another user, Ibraheem who tweets as yaron_tamale clarified, “This is very common among we dagombas..traditionally, your female cousins are regarded as your wives and mostly, during your wedding they tend to do this just to let the woman know she is stealing their husband and this is nothing serious as you people are portraying it.”
See the trending video, courtesy @Aminu_Lion7:
