Culture refers to the beliefs and customs of a particular society. In most cultures, the marriage dreams of young men and young women are similar. Whether a marriage is arranged or goes through the various stages from meeting to proposing, the end result is companionship. Among the Igbo of Nigeria and the Nuer of Sudan, there are similarities and differences in marriage practices because values, customs and beliefs are learned as a society. determines various matrimonial practices. The Igbo people, sometimes referred to as Ibo, are the second largest group of people living in southern Nigeria. The Igbo speak Igbo and speak a wide range of different dialects. The Igbo are yam producers and it is their staple crop. Every year they hold a celebration called New Yam Festival, which celebrates the harvest and guarantees a good harvest for the year. The Igbo are inclined towards art and music. They are known for their artwork such as bronze casting and musical instruments like the opi, a flute-like instrument. The traditional religion is known as Odinani, but today most Igbo people practice Christianity. Igbo society governed itself without the input of a chief or king. They lived independently and each had a say in all matters discussed. There were no special privileges because of ancestry. The Igbo have been described in historical and anthropological literature as a “stateless” or “segmentary” society composed of autonomous village groups (Korieh, 2006 p 14). Victor Uchendu described this lack of articulate leadership as “a problem”. exercise of direct democracy” and “representative assembly” (Korieh, 2006 p14). After colonization, interaction with other Nigerians gave rise to a more distinct Igbo ethnic identity. The Igbo people...... middle of paper ...... appropriate to their simple way of life (Evans-Pritchard 1940:90) In the practice of marriage among the Nuer, the payment of a dowry and some Ceremonial rites are performed to initiate the marriage. The ceremonial rites will only take place after the bride has paid, the exchange of livestock alone cannot bring about the marriage (Evans-Prichard, 1951). Both of these processes are important and complete the establishment of the full union of marriage. In Nuer culture, a marriage has many stages which are engagement, marriage and consummation. In Nuer culture, no marriage is complete without the birth of a child. Although divorce is rare in Nuer society after the birth of the first child, divorce does occur. According to EE Evans-Prichard, if divorce occurs and no children are born, the bride's livestock must be returned (Evans-Prichard, 1951).