What do you wear to a Moroccan wedding? You wear the traditional, simple, but nice Moroccan dresses that the girl you met on the train, Nadia's, family gives you to wear, and then insists that you keep! I have heard that in traditional Muslim houses that guests are like god. Today, I felt like a real Muslim guest.
This wedding was my first non-Christian wedding. It was completely different to what I know. The wedding was held in Nadia's house. The men and women were kept separately. Additionally, apparently there are two wedding receptions: one on one day for the bride's family and one on another day for the groom's family.
Unlike our wedding receptions where we eat first, listen to Frank Sinatra, do our Dad/Daughter dance, and then break open the dance floor, in a Moroccan wedding, the first thing you do immediately do to start dancing. The Arabic music came on, the hips started moving, the shoulders started shaking, and the hands started floating.
Then, just when you needed a breather from the dancing, the bride and groom make their 1st grand entrance. That's right. They don't make just one entrance. They don't make two entrances. No. They make five entrances! Each entrance requires a different ensemble.
The reason? Nobody could actually tell us at the wedding. Neither could Wikipedia. For now, it'll have to remain a mystery.
Entrance One:
The bride wore a white Moroccan dress and the groom wore a traditional Moroccan robe. They made their entry. However, the bride didn't enter the room on her own feet. No, she was lead to a chair on the ground, where the groom's friends, in traditional Berber robes, lifted her on a palate and danced her into the room. and then they sat on this stage-come-throne that was made for them in front of all of the guests.
After they sat, this master of ceremonies and the bride's attendants (all hired people to help make sure everything goes well), made sure everything was settled. Then the bride and groom had what appeared to be the marriage ceremony. First, they held a bowl of cow's milk with rose water for each other to drink. Next, they passed the bowl around for the guests to drink. We researched this tradition and we believe its meant to symbolize purity. Then, the couple then fed each some sort of stuffed date, and then dates were handed out for the guests to eat. Finally, there was an exchange of rings. Obviously the couple then posed for pictures,
Then the groom just left. We couldn't figure out if he'd had enough of the women-only party or what. We waited and the bride just sat there on her throne. Finally, after 10-15 minutes, the groom returned bearing gifts which he presented. He gave flowers, clothes, and carried in gifts of henna, sugar, dates, etc. in large silver tagine-shaped platters. Okay, bounty given, the guests could then pose with the bride and groom. Finally, the bride and groom left.
Interlude One:
The music came back on and people continued dancing. Now, these weren't just young people dancing. Oh no! Those older women tied their scarves around their waists and started shaking their hips just as much as the younger women. I've never seen older women dance like this! They only sat when delicious cookies and juice started to be served. This is only the 2nd dry wedding I've ever attended, and I cannot imagine how much more these people would dance if they had alcohol!
Entrance Two:
The bride and groom entered wearing costume #2 - this time, the groom wore a suit/tie and the bride wore a green, velvety Moroccan dress. Again, they sat, posed, people took pictures with them, and then dancing continued.
Entrance Three:
The couple left, came back with costume #3, the groom wore the same ensemble, and the bride wore a velvety red Moroccan dress. I must say, this was probably the most boring of the costumes. It felt a bit like they were an exhibit at a festival. You could pick with what costume you wanted your picture with the bride and groom. Do you think the green dress would flatter what you're wearing more? Okay, wait for that dress before you climb up onto the stage alongside them and get your picture taken.
I must also confess that I did start to wonder where the heck the food was? I mean, sure, they were giving us lots of cookies and sweets, but I'm more of a 'cookie and sweets for dessert', not a 'cookie and sweets for appetizers' kind of person. Plus, all of that dancing was making me really hot, sweaty, and hungry! There isn't even alcohol to give me courage - I have to go 'au natural' with my dancing. That can't be good for anybody.
Entrance Four:
Costume #4 was intense. The groom wore a traditional Moroccan costume, complete with the red hat. The bride wore this intense white dress with huge head gear. It was like Moroccan Cleopatra with a giant breast plate. Pallavi thought she looked a bit like the Hindu goddess Kali, which is intimidating, scary, and beautiful. To add to the intensity, this time they were both put onto their palates and both lifted up into the air. They only looked afraid of being dropped or hitting their heads on the chandeliers a few times.
Again, dancing interlude. By this time, we were well into Arabic pop music.
Entrance Five:
Finally, costume #5 came. The bride wore what Christians would call a traditional wedding dress and the groom wore a tux. They posed for one last photo session before they waved to the crowd, did their version of a Sound of Music 'So Long, Farewell,' and left! Apparently they go downstairs, where they eat dinner by themselves, before the family sends them off in a more private goodbye.
In the meantime, we all finally got to eat!! Food was served on a central platter and each guest was given a plate, cutlery, and a piece of bread. You could put the food on your plate, but everybody just grabbed a piece of bread and tore the meat off of the chicken on the central platter and ate it directly. Who needs the middle man of a plate?! If you waste time with the plate, you'll miss all of the food! You could tell how hungry people were based on the amount of bones that ended up scattered on the table! However, we didn't plan our eating strategy properly. There wasn't just one dish! Rookie mistake. Of course there were 2 dishes plus a fruit dessert platter.
We left completely stuffed to the gills, filled with amazement and hospitality, and with great memories and friends we'll never forget. What a great experience that just fell into our lap. Moral of the story: be friendlier to the people who sit next to you on the train! They might just invite you to a wedding.
[To probably be edited later when I figure out a funnier way to tell this story]
This wedding was my first non-Christian wedding. It was completely different to what I know. The wedding was held in Nadia's house. The men and women were kept separately. Additionally, apparently there are two wedding receptions: one on one day for the bride's family and one on another day for the groom's family.
Unlike our wedding receptions where we eat first, listen to Frank Sinatra, do our Dad/Daughter dance, and then break open the dance floor, in a Moroccan wedding, the first thing you do immediately do to start dancing. The Arabic music came on, the hips started moving, the shoulders started shaking, and the hands started floating.
Then, just when you needed a breather from the dancing, the bride and groom make their 1st grand entrance. That's right. They don't make just one entrance. They don't make two entrances. No. They make five entrances! Each entrance requires a different ensemble.
The reason? Nobody could actually tell us at the wedding. Neither could Wikipedia. For now, it'll have to remain a mystery.
Entrance One:
The bride wore a white Moroccan dress and the groom wore a traditional Moroccan robe. They made their entry. However, the bride didn't enter the room on her own feet. No, she was lead to a chair on the ground, where the groom's friends, in traditional Berber robes, lifted her on a palate and danced her into the room. and then they sat on this stage-come-throne that was made for them in front of all of the guests.
After they sat, this master of ceremonies and the bride's attendants (all hired people to help make sure everything goes well), made sure everything was settled. Then the bride and groom had what appeared to be the marriage ceremony. First, they held a bowl of cow's milk with rose water for each other to drink. Next, they passed the bowl around for the guests to drink. We researched this tradition and we believe its meant to symbolize purity. Then, the couple then fed each some sort of stuffed date, and then dates were handed out for the guests to eat. Finally, there was an exchange of rings. Obviously the couple then posed for pictures,
Then the groom just left. We couldn't figure out if he'd had enough of the women-only party or what. We waited and the bride just sat there on her throne. Finally, after 10-15 minutes, the groom returned bearing gifts which he presented. He gave flowers, clothes, and carried in gifts of henna, sugar, dates, etc. in large silver tagine-shaped platters. Okay, bounty given, the guests could then pose with the bride and groom. Finally, the bride and groom left.
Interlude One:
The music came back on and people continued dancing. Now, these weren't just young people dancing. Oh no! Those older women tied their scarves around their waists and started shaking their hips just as much as the younger women. I've never seen older women dance like this! They only sat when delicious cookies and juice started to be served. This is only the 2nd dry wedding I've ever attended, and I cannot imagine how much more these people would dance if they had alcohol!
Entrance Two:
The bride and groom entered wearing costume #2 - this time, the groom wore a suit/tie and the bride wore a green, velvety Moroccan dress. Again, they sat, posed, people took pictures with them, and then dancing continued.
Entrance Three:
The couple left, came back with costume #3, the groom wore the same ensemble, and the bride wore a velvety red Moroccan dress. I must say, this was probably the most boring of the costumes. It felt a bit like they were an exhibit at a festival. You could pick with what costume you wanted your picture with the bride and groom. Do you think the green dress would flatter what you're wearing more? Okay, wait for that dress before you climb up onto the stage alongside them and get your picture taken.
I must also confess that I did start to wonder where the heck the food was? I mean, sure, they were giving us lots of cookies and sweets, but I'm more of a 'cookie and sweets for dessert', not a 'cookie and sweets for appetizers' kind of person. Plus, all of that dancing was making me really hot, sweaty, and hungry! There isn't even alcohol to give me courage - I have to go 'au natural' with my dancing. That can't be good for anybody.
Entrance Four:
Costume #4 was intense. The groom wore a traditional Moroccan costume, complete with the red hat. The bride wore this intense white dress with huge head gear. It was like Moroccan Cleopatra with a giant breast plate. Pallavi thought she looked a bit like the Hindu goddess Kali, which is intimidating, scary, and beautiful. To add to the intensity, this time they were both put onto their palates and both lifted up into the air. They only looked afraid of being dropped or hitting their heads on the chandeliers a few times.
Again, dancing interlude. By this time, we were well into Arabic pop music.
Entrance Five:
Finally, costume #5 came. The bride wore what Christians would call a traditional wedding dress and the groom wore a tux. They posed for one last photo session before they waved to the crowd, did their version of a Sound of Music 'So Long, Farewell,' and left! Apparently they go downstairs, where they eat dinner by themselves, before the family sends them off in a more private goodbye.
In the meantime, we all finally got to eat!! Food was served on a central platter and each guest was given a plate, cutlery, and a piece of bread. You could put the food on your plate, but everybody just grabbed a piece of bread and tore the meat off of the chicken on the central platter and ate it directly. Who needs the middle man of a plate?! If you waste time with the plate, you'll miss all of the food! You could tell how hungry people were based on the amount of bones that ended up scattered on the table! However, we didn't plan our eating strategy properly. There wasn't just one dish! Rookie mistake. Of course there were 2 dishes plus a fruit dessert platter.
We left completely stuffed to the gills, filled with amazement and hospitality, and with great memories and friends we'll never forget. What a great experience that just fell into our lap. Moral of the story: be friendlier to the people who sit next to you on the train! They might just invite you to a wedding.
[To probably be edited later when I figure out a funnier way to tell this story]
