The Culture Where the Bride’s Father Spits on Her Breast
The culture that spits on the bride's breast
In most places spitting on a person is considered disrespectful and offensive but for the Maasai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania, it is a thing of honor to be spat on.
The Maasai tribe is a Nilotic ethnic group that resides in north-central and southern Kenya and is also found in northern Tanzania. The people are known to be fierce warriors and for their beautiful traditions and unique cultural attire.
The tribe originated near lake Turkana and the people are pastoralists who have stood firmly by their active traditional lifestyle regardless of efforts made by the government to make them more stationary. As a people with high regard for their culture, and traditions, the Maasai people are known for several customs including a marriage custom that involves spitting on a bride's breast on her wedding day.
Spitting in the Maasai tradition is considered a form of greeting and saying farewell to loved ones as it signifies acceptance and honor towards the recipient of the spit.
