Top 20 Taboos in Luo Community: Chira! List of Traditions, Customs & Beliefs on Marriage & Death

Cultural rules are still routines in most Kenyan households regardless of tribe and religious beliefs. They are regulators of human interaction in a chaos-and-order vulnerable society. Perhaps the most outstanding are timeless taboos in Luo community.

Taboos comprise strict ancestral guidelines attracting great punishments for the culprits. We look at the Luo culture and traditions setting tribesmen apart from the rest.

Top 20 Taboos in Luo community

What is Chira in Luo? Taboos otherwise called Chira in the Luo culture are diverse in their description of the daily lives of Luo natives residing around Lake Victoria.

They form societal expectations that one should consider keenly before marrying a Luo man or woman.

1. Must enter the in-law’s home strictly by the main gate

Luo bridegrooms must not enter the compound of their in-laws through any other route apart from the main gate.

Apart from avoiding embarrassment, the cultural restriction is aimed at preserving respect and dignity among in-laws.

2. Never return meat or milk given as a gift

It is taboo to return sacred gifts such as milk and meat because it may result in serious consequences such as death.

In case you do not like the gift, accept it firsthand then present it to another person or feed it to the pets.

3. No carrying or pointing weaponry during arguments

Luo elders strictly advise against entering an argument while carrying weapons because anger may get out of hand and cause regrettable injuries or even death.

It is also a common belief that pointing a weapon at another person is grieving to the ancestors.

4. Bringing harvest home before the family head is taboo

The head of a home must guide all members of the family in the spirit of obedience and responsibility.

As such no activity including bringing a harvest home should be done without their knowledge or consent.

5. It is taboo to bring home the body of a drowned person

Luo elders prohibit burying a drowned person in their homesteads.

Instead, they insist on burying the deceased at the riverbank or riverside nearby to the spot of retrieval.

Full list of taboos in Luo community

• Women getting married before their elder siblings are prohibited
• It is taboo for a woman to hit her husband with a cooking stick during a fight 

Most of the enlisted traditions continue to survive modernity in the lake region.

Various taboos in Luo community not only foster heritage but also spiritual well-being and tribal unity.

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