a-Zawaj

History

Marriage rituals differ from village to village, town to town, and among people of differing ranks, also. However, the fundamentals are the same. It is always a big party, with all family members, and neighbours invited. Everybody brings along a gift for the newlyweds, usually something for their new home. Both bride and groom have pre-wedding parties with their own families (if from the same village/town, neighbours choose whichever house they want to go to, depending on who they're closer to). Then they have a bigger party at a reception (the more well off people do this; poorer citizens just party at the bride's house when the groom comes), where the newlyweds walk in preceded by a Zaffe (dancers in traditional dress, with drums and other musical instruments) and to the ululations of the gathered guests. There is lots of food - LOTS - prepared either by caterers or the neighbours and other family (for poorer people, or ones who want a more personal touch). The bride and groom will cut their wedding cake - usually seven cakes tall - with a long sword. And then, there's dancing. Lots of dancing. Sometimes even belly dancers are invited. (Lots of fireworks too - before magic disappeared).

Components and tools

The bride is gifted a set of gold jewelry - a bracelet, necklace, earrings, and her ring, of course. The wealthier the groom and his family, the more gold the bride gets, of course. Sometimes people can only afford the simplest of gold. The bride's dress is always extremely puffy and the purest white, with a long veil over the top. The groom wears a long bisht over a thobe - again, quality of both dress and bisht-thobe depend on the wealth of the groom and his family. Of course the groom pays for everything, after all.