Wedding Diary: Why Is An 'Onigbagi' So Expensive?!

Hello there, welcome to yet another episode of my wedding diary where I tell details about my forthcoming Nigerian wedding. In previous blog posts, I mentioned a list of obligations my groom is meant to fulfil before we're acknowledged as a married couple traditionally. The List includes a sum of money to be given to my father, mother, relatives and myself. Now that's not all, my groom needs to buy some beverage and alcohol, complete outfit for both my parents and a big box for me.

In this box, there are meant to be new shoes, a handbag, necklace, wrist watch, an umbrella, lamp, two pillows and a fabric called 'Onigbagi'. It has this box pattern all over it some call 'Ruler', comes mostly in several shades of red and colour green.

This one here belongs to my mum and she's had it for over 20 years she says. She got it for 19000 Naira and still uses it till this day. It's a long stretch of fabric that's sewn into a pair of wrapper which is tied around the waist over a tailored blouse. That happens to be the traditional wear for women in Southern Nigeria. And during weddings, this unique print must be bought for the bride.

So my mum and I go out for a market survey and we ask for the price of an Onigbagi only to get a shocking price range of 65000 - 90000 Naira. I heard the price and was like hell no, I don't want no bloody Onigbagi. First of all, I'm never going to wear it, the only time youngsters like me ever get to tie a wrapper is on their wedding day maybe but such outfit is mostly for the older generation. Some older women even wouldn't be caught dead wearing a wrapper.

I think it's completely insane spending that much on something I won't use just because some silly tradition says so. What's funny is that it's supposed to be bought for me, I say I don't want it but they insist I must have it.

Why did it appreciate so much like it's bitcoin? Is this the bitcoin for the ancestors?

I won't lie that I don't love the print, I do. But this same print come in cheaper fabrics that are good quality like this green one here. When put side by side, you can barely tell a difference.

We saw this same red colour in the market but of the cheaper fabric of 2500-4500 Naira range and it's really beautiful and never going to fade out. Tradition supposedly frowns against going for the cheaper option and again I say this is a stupid ass culture, I'm so sick of it.

What's the worse that would happen on the day of the wedding? We don't get married because of the absence of a classist, overpriced fabric?

We shall see...