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ABSTRACT
This study examinedContemporary Influence on Benin Traditional Mode of Dressing: A Study Of Benin Traditional Marriages Ceremony. The objectives of the study were to find out the modes of dressing of the Benin people, examine the symbolic meaning of Benin traditional mode of dressing in contemporary times, as well as the contemporary influences of Benin traditional marriage of dressing, and to study the impact of contemporary dressing in the traditions of the Benin People. The problem the study sought to investigate was the importance of Benin traditional dress in marriage ceremony, symbolic meanings Benin traditional dresses portray as well as how the contemporary ways of dressing in traditional Benin ceremony reflect the people’s cultural identity. The research method adopted in carrying out this study is the qualitative method of research. Pictorial representation of bride and groom’s costumes as well s their respective parents were presented and analyzed respectively. Findings reveal that costumes communicate meanings and beauty of the Benin people. It reflects their social status, cultural heritage, occasion/event as well as sex. It also reveals that in the traditional marriage ceremony of the Benin people, the bride and groom as well as their parents wear costumes to identify their respective roles in the marriage ceremony. Based on the findings it was recommended that the family being the bedrock of every individual should inculcate the value of one’s cultural heritage into a child so that when he/she grows, he/she will remember their root and preserve their cultural heritage and also encourage them to always remember their identity no matter the height they have attained in life. It is also proposed by this researcher that parents should start very early with their children in the aspect of appreciating their culture by always wearing them traditional costumes in special events and also teaching them the core cultural values of their culture so that the people’s culture will not go into extinction.
