MARRIAGE AND WIDOWHOOD IN COLONIAL YORUBALAND: CASE STUDY OF EFON ALAAYE IN EKITI STATE

One of the oldest institutions in existence is marriage. When two diverse people agree to live together, it signals the end of one period and the start of another. Through their union, they forge enduring ties with their respective birthplaces. The main reason why marriage is a significant part of Yoruba culture is that Yoruba people place a high value on having children after their wedding ceremony and consider marriages without children to be unproductive unions. On the other hand, widowhood results from the passing of one spouse during marriage. Practices related to widowhood are widespread and significant in Yorubaland.1 In Yoruba tradition, widowhood is regarded highly, just as naming and marriage ceremonies are required. While widowhood is established as a mandatory custom rite for both widows and widowers, widows typically encounter more difficulties than widowers because males are not required to mourn their spouses for a specific amount of time.2 In this framework, the study would be brought to comprehend the significance of marriage and widowhood institutions in Yorubaland's culture and tradition, particularly among the Efon-Alaaye people. The researcher would be able to analyze the world of culture and tradition in the area of marriage and widowhood in Efon-Alaaye via the course of this study. To ascertain why the practice is sacred among the people of Efon-Alaaye despite the rise of the "eye-opener" civilization, the igbeyawo custom will be thoroughly investigated, along with the positive and negative aspects of widowhood.