Porto-Novo (also known as Hogbonou and Adjacé) is the official capital of the West African nation of Benin, and was the capital of French Dahomey. The commune covers an area of 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people.
Songs and dances are a part of the social fabric of Benin and celebrate joyous events such as festivals, childbirth, rites of passage, or occasions of sorrow such as mourning of the dead.
As with many African countries, the Benin culture constitutes a number of different tribes. Naturally, wedding customs in Benin and traditional marriage practices will and do vary from tribe to tribe and culture to culture. Both monogamous as well as polygamous marriages are seen in the Benin culture but the traditional wedding is pretty much the same regardless.