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Introduction

The payment of bride price remains a deeply entrenched custom in many African societies, often seen as a symbol of respect, commitment, and familial alliance. However, it has been suggested that “biblically and traditionally,” bride price should only be paid for women who are virgins. This assertion, rooted in specific scriptural passages and cultural practices, has sparked debates around morality, gender equality, and the commodification of women. 

In this analysis, we explore the historical, religious, and societal contexts that shape this claim and examine whether such a viewpoint holds up in today’s evolving norms and rights.

Traditional Perspectives on Bride Price and Virginity

Historically, the bride price in Ghana validated customary marriages, strengthened family bonds, and legitimised children born within the union. The items involved in the bride price varied across ethnic groups, often including bottles of schnapps, ornaments, clothes, and cowries.

Osei-Bonsu Safo-Kantanka, popularly known as Teacher Kantanka, a historian and cultural anthropologist, provides insight into the traditional understanding of bride price.

“As for the bride price, it is paid whether you pass through that stage. It is not huge; it also differs from place to place, from one ethnic group to another. And among the Akans, we have a common way of paying the bride price. And the Ashantis’ one differs slightly from the general,” he told DUBAWA.

He emphasised that virginity was not a prerequisite for the payment of bride price.

“Bride price, it is not as if you are not a virgin, bride price will not be paid. You can be 80, and a man can be 85 or 90. If you want to get married, you must go through.”

Biblical and Theological Perspectives

According to theologian and head pastor of Gospel Light International Church (Spintex branch), Apostle Albert Nana Yaw Ampong, the Old Testament passages often cited—Exodus 22:16 to 17 mandate that the man must pay the standard bride price and marry the virgin unless her father refuses.

“Some interpret the phrase “bride-price for virgins” in verse 17 as implying that bride price should be paid for virgins only. But in context, it simply sets the amount (the full bridal price) for the case of a virgin; if the father will not give his daughter, the man still owes a bride-price for virgins.

“In other words, he still pays the usual full price. These laws do not explicitly state that a non-virgin would pay a lesser or no bride-price. I am noting that both Exodus and Deuteronomy together show the law forces a seducer of a virgin to honour her by marriage and payment, but do not state a universal rule about all marriages,” he told DUBAWA.

Apostle Ampong added, “We need to understand something. The bride’s price is a form of compensation and a means to ensure the woman’s future security and honour. Crucially, the New Testament and Christian theology do not affirm that a woman’s premarital status nullifies marriage rites.

According to the clergyman, “No canonical scripture says that payment of bride-price is allowed only if a bride is a virgin.”

In another twist, Ghanaian preacher Joshua Semedor reinterprets the notion of “virgin” in a popular sermon as an acronym for moral qualities rather than literal chastity. 

Semedor explained the word V-I-R-G-I-N represented “Virtuous, Visionary, Innovative, Religious, Intercessor, Neat,” explicitly stating that “you must marry a virgin, not in the sense of a person who is sexually pure but someone who possesses these [good] characters.”

Views of Marriage Counsellors

Some marriage counsellors and church leaders in Ghana have offered diverse perspectives. However, none endorses the strict “virgin-only” bride-price rule. Two well-known Ghanaian counsellors illustrate the range of views:

On his part, Rev. George Lutterodt, a controversial marriage counsellor, has argued the opposite of the viral claim. 

On a popular radio show, he provocatively declared, “Virginity is a burden” and claimed most Ghanaian men (roughly “eight out of ten”) prefer non-virgin brides. Lutterodt’s view —that insisting on virgin brides can harm marriages— runs counter to traditional purity rhetoric. 

He contended that expecting virginity sets young women up for unrealistic standards. While his tone is sensational, it reflects a strand of thought in Ghanaian counselling circles: marital success depends more on mutual understanding and respect than on a bride’s sexual history.

In a rather sharp contrast, Elder Alexander Opkoti Oddoye, author and speaker on marriage, upholds the value of “virginity” but in a nuanced way. Speaking to DUBAWA, he affirmed that couples should seek spouses of high moral character.

Both counsellors, however, reflect a broader conversation: premarital counselling in Ghana often addresses sexual ethics, but responses vary. Some pastors strongly encourage premarital abstinence and may expect brides to show a bloodstained sheet (a practice tied to Bragoro/Dipo rites) as proof of virginity. Others criticise that practice as unkind. Notably, Seventh-Day Adventist leaders have publicly praised girls who remain virgins, even giving cash awards. SDA organisers in the Wenchi West district rewarded 20 schoolgirls for preserving their “flowers” (virginity) through youth programmes. Yet this encouragement targets youth purity, not marriage-price rules.

A journey into the bride price practices in Ghana:

Within Ghana’s many ethnic traditions, bride-price (“dowry” or akontↄsekan among Akans) remains a customary marriage validation. But how do communities view virginity in that context?

Akan (Asante/Fanti) Tradition: 

Akan ceremonial language frequently uses floral metaphors for the bride’s purity. For example, during the kokooko (knocking) ceremony, groomsmen often declare that the groom has seen a “beautiful flower” in the bride’s family garden and wishes to pluck it. The flower symbolises the woman’s virginity and purity. In traditional Akan marriage, the bride-price list does not usually itemise a separate fee for virginity; rather, virginity is implied in the flower metaphor and celebrated if present. 

If the bride is not a virgin, Akan custom calls for a solemn rite called ayeferɛ, meaning “divorce fine,” which the groom’s side pays as a penalty for the unfulfilled expectation. The ayeferɛ historically reduced the bride-price or added a separate compensation, signalling that the bride’s family honour was ‘blemished’. (While direct source citations on ayeferɛ in Akan tradition are scarce online, an Akan elder and a senior okyeame (spokesperson) at Manhyia palace, who asked not to be named, confirms that a fine or ritual has long been part of the custom when virginity is disputed.)

Ewe Tradition: 

In Ewe culture (Volta Region), there is an explicit custom of rewarding virginity. After the consummation, the bridal party inspects the bed sheets for blood. If the sheet is bloodstained (showing the bride was a virgin), the groom’s family gives an extra gift to the bride and her family. Anthropologist G.K. Nukunya explains: “If the bride is a virgin… the groom must make an additional payment… Establishment of virginity is a matter of great pride for both the bride and her parents”. 

The bride is honoured (given exceptional jewellery), and the mother receives gifts for raising a “successful” daughter. If no blood is found, a fine may be paid instead. Thus, among the Ewe, a virgin bride commands more – the custom even entitles her to symbolic privileges – but again, the practice does not say a non-virgin bride is ineligible for bride-price. It simply withholds the bonus reward if the bride is not a virgin. This anthropological detail makes clear that Ewe tradition values virginity but does not prohibit marriage or bride-price for non-virgins.

Other traditional views: 

Across Ghana’s ethnic spectrum, the specifics vary. Ga, Dagomba, Mole-Dagbon, and others may not place as formal an emphasis on virginity in the wedding rites as the Asante and Ewe. In many northern and coastal communities, bride-price is more of a legal-formal exchange, and virginity testing plays little or no role. Likewise, modern urban Ghanaians of all backgrounds increasingly negotiate bride-price on practical grounds (education, family status) rather than virtue. 

Drawing the line between Christian and traditional practices:

Christian churches in Ghana regularly conduct church and customary ceremonies, blending Western and local customs. How do churches treat bride-price and virginity?

Church Ceremonies and Bride-Price: Most Ghanaian Christians still perform the traditional engagement ceremony – knocking and payment of bride-price – before the church wedding. Churches typically require that this custom be completed (to legitimise the marriage culturally), but they do not usually police the bride’s virginity as a condition for performing the wedding service. Many pastors leave the bride-price negotiation to the families, then proceed with a church blessing. Some progressive churches have discouraged exorbitant bride-price demands, but they rarely refuse to wed a couple simply because the bride isn’t a virgin. As Archbishop Naameh noted, churches today often find themselves in a “duplication of rites and costs” (traditional engagement vs. church wedding) that confuses couples. His solution is to harmonise (inculturate) the rites, not to criminalise non-virgin brides.

Conclusion

The assertion that bride price should only be paid for virgins lacks substantial support from both traditional Ghanaian practices and biblical teachings. While specific biblical passages associate bride price with virginity, they do not establish it as a universal requirement. Customary practices in Ghana have historically involved the payment of bride price regardless of the bride’s virginity status.