The Ibo marriage traditions Chinua Achebe presents in his seminal debut novel Things Fall Apart are noticeably different from Western norms surrounding marriage. For one, the Umuofians in Achebe's tale practice polygamy; the men take multiple wives in Umuofia, while it is more standard in Western culture to remain monogamous.
Next, marriage for the Ibo is more centered as a show of wealth and virility for the men of the culture. In other words, the more wives a man takes, the more this demonstrates his financial stability. Early in the novel, Achebe shows how successful Okonkwo is by listing his various achievements and holdings:
Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife (8).
Western marriage norms, meanwhile, have shifted toward emphasizing romantic love.
With that said, however, the two cultures do share one key trait: both traditions have grand feasts and rituals centered around marriage. Food, wine, and elaborate ceremonies mark both cultures' marriage rituals.
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