Nigerian couple meet, tie knot in Turkey

By Gulsum Incekaya

ISTANBUL (AA) - Two Nigerian nationals found love kilometers away from home when they met in Istanbul, Turkey.

Okorie Divine and Obianka Desmond, who were born and raised in Nigeria, engaged in trade in Istanbul.

Bride Divine and groom Desmond tied the knot in a church and then held their ceremony at a wedding hall in Esenyurt district.

Over 300 Nigerian guests attended the ceremony, as well as guests from Turkey, Iran and other countries.

The bridesmaids and best men, dressed in maroon and yellow colors, entered the hall performing Nigerian traditional dances.

The bride and the groom entered the hall while guests were spraying money on them as part of a long-standing Nigerian wedding tradition.

Guests enjoyed the Nigerian cuisine, Jollof -- rice with fried turkey, meat, chicken and fish -- and moi moi -- a traditional dessert -- served during the ceremony.

Guests also received gifts, kitchenware -- such as glass, jug, thermos -- and calendar from the couple's families.

A 26-year-old bridesmaid, Jovita Madueke, told Anadolu Agency that she found the wedding ceremonies in Turkey as much fun as the ones in Nigeria.

“I love Turkey so much. The ceremony is very good, people are very good, and everybody here is very happy,” Madueke said, adding that she is so happy to live in Turkey.

Burhan Yildirim, owner of the wedding hall, said that it is the second time they hosted a Nigerian wedding, expressing his pleasure.

Acknowledging that Nigerians are keen to their traditions, Yildirim added that the ceremony was organized according to the traditions of these joyful people.

*Writing by Sena Guler