Sheltering from the pitiless sun under large blue umbrellas, several dozen young Nigerian women sporting colourful dresses paraded to the rhythm of drums in a mass wedding on Friday -- an annual rite held in western Nigeria.

This tradition of the mass Awon marriage, organised in the small town of Shao in Kwara State in October, is linked to local mythology.

The story goes that a young hunter from Shao once met a strange woman with a single breast near the river named Awon.

After spending several days with a man from the village, she asked the villagers to set a day each year to commemorate her visit by marrying all girls of a suitable age, to ensure the prosperity of the community.

The goddess then disappeared.

Once dressed in their wedding finery in the palace of the local ruler, the

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