Marriage is Morocco’s richest traditional event which is closely connected to ancestral traditions and customs. A joyful celebration and a welcome opportunity for a social gathering, marriage is celebrated for days. The wedding practices evolve around the beauty of the bride, the unity of the family of the two spouses and the life within community Despite the western style of life that gains ground in our society, young Moroccans have a strong nostalgia and high esteem for ancestral traditions and customs that have deeply marked the life of our country “Young generations cherish and cling on to genuine Moroccan traditions. We feel a desire to revive the ancestral Moroccan traditions, which reflects our multifaceted history and cultural heritage,” he says. Though marriage ceremonies vary from one region to another, they all share many common aspects. The marriage process starts with the engagement meeting, called Khetba. At this stage, the groom’s family asks for the hand of the bride. Once the bride and her parents accept, the united families start discussions about the wedding ceremony. These discussions revolve around the bride’s dowry and the date and cost of the ceremony. During Khetba period, the groom offers some gifts, notably jewelry and clothes, to the bride. After the engagement, there is a private ceremony, attended by the closest relatives and friends, to seal the marriage certificate. An Adoul, a religious man certified by the government, manually draws up this certificate and the two spouses sign the necessary documents. According to the Islamic religion, two witnesses should accompany the Adoul, who also attests that the spouses and families have agreed. Even though the legal marriage has taken place, the spouses cannot live together until other matrimonial steps have been completed. After this ceremony, it is time for the Big Night, called “Eers”, this ceremony is one of Morocco’s proudest rituals, as it involves the finest cuisine, traditional outfits, music, and a lot more. A traditional Moroccan wedding starts with the ceremony of Hammam day, where the bride goes to the traditional, public bath with the closest women of her family. This ceremonial milk bath is meant to purify the bride. The whole ceremony is accompanied by songs and ululations. After the Hammam, the bride wears a traditional dress, usually green, and has her hands and feet painted with fascinating designs of henna. It is the Henna ritual supervised by the “Nekacha”, a talented woman that the bride’s family hires to decorate their daughter with henna. Other members of the family have a finger or hand done with henna as well. This ceremony is attended only by women who are connected to the bride in some way. Everyone sings joyfully for the bride while dancing. This ritual symbolizes prosperity. In the third day, the groom’s family send the “Hdia” (gifts) to the bride, a number of gifts like fabrics for traditional dresses, jewelry, sugar, dates, milk and henna. All the way from the groom’s house to the bride’s, people sing wedding songs and let out celebratory ululations. This is a very special step of the ceremony as the goal goes beyond the offering gifts, but to informing others that a couple are about to tie the knots. In the afternoon, the bride goes with few close women to the hairdresser to get ready for the evening party. This festivity usually starts at about 9 p.m. in a big house. The guests arrive and band sings wedding songs to which people dance. Servers go around the place offering nice Moroccan cookies and fresh fruit juices, mint tea and coffee. Two magisterial chairs with decoration around set the groom and his bride. The two families along with the groom receive the guests. As for the bride, she is treated like a princess in one of the house’s rooms. Four women, called Neggafate, are hired to help her wear her traditional outfit and heavy jewelry. Then, the big moment comes when the two spouses come together, with the Neggafate. They sit down on the chairs while the guests are dancing in rhythm. The Neggafate help the bride to change her dresses several times during the night. Every dress has matching jewelry. She also wears a traditional outfit specific to the family’s origins in Morocco: Fez, the North, East, Berber, etc. Dinner is served and the ceremony lasts all night long! The festivities do not end here. Throughout the week, the newly weds will visit friends and relatives as well as show off their new home and gifts. To this day, marriage in Morocco is generally thought of as being the most important and sacred decision that both the man and woman can make. The rituals a Moroccan marriage includes, depicts ancient traditions that are impressively intertwined with modernity.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 16:26:43 +0000
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