It is very curious that Ethiopian couples spend their honeymoon very differently from American and European newlyweds. According to the Western tradition, couples leave for their honeymoon to a destination of their choice – often to another country or some resort. But in Ethiopia, it’s vice versa – they stay at the groom’s parents’ house for 1-3 weeks. And all this time, the bride doesn’t leave the house during the day.
Possibly, this tradition was invented so that the couple consumed their first child at once and there was no doubt as to who the father is – because Ethiopians have rather strict rules regarding incest (every future couple’s families are thoroughly investigated to make sure there’s no blood relation). In Ethiopia, it’s very important to know your ancestors 5 generations back.
