aso ebi

(Pronounced ASHO EYBEE)
Nigerian outfits made from matching fabric to be worn by a group of people to a party, wedding, or funeral as a uniform. Wearing a certain aso ebi identifies the group of wearers. For instance, at a wedding, all the bride's friends might wear blue and gold, the bride's family might wear white and gold, and the groom's friends might wear black and pink, and so on. Usually at weddings, the various fabrics for the aso ebi are decided by the bride, and are then announced to all the guests months in advance so they can prepare their outfits. Guests are usually expected to buy the aso ebi from the bride, but close friends and family members and certain prominent individuals may be presented with the aso ebi as a gift. Aso ebi for parties and funerals are generally simple, but aso ebi for weddings may involve many complex changes with entirely different aso ebi for different days of the wedding, and for the reception.

My five best friends and I all wore aso ebi to my sister's wedding.

I know I was invited to the wedding but I can't afford the aso ebi so I'm not going.

What stunning aso ebi!

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spraying

Nigerian practice of throwing money on a dancing person.

I went to that party and got sprayed! I made a few thousand!

The host of the party got up and started spraying the best dancer.

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owambe

A large, grandiose party thrown by Nigerians anywhere in the world, especially Yoruba Nigerians that involves a lot of food, dancing, loud music, and spraying (Nigerian term meaning the act of throwing money on a dancing person). There are often numerous guests, and usually the guests are divided into groups according to their aso ebi (uniform - some people might wear white and blue, some gold and red, etc). These parties take days and sometimes weeks and months of preparation, and have been known to block entire streets and roads, especially in Lagos, Nigeria.

My aunt threw an Owambe to celebrate my graduation from college.

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