Last week, upon returning to Taroudant after a brief stay in England, I was invited to my friend's sister's wedding. The fact that I only had the vaguest of acquaintances with the happy couple is quite normal for Morocco, which is renowned for its hospitality!
Moroccan weddings are incredibly different to their English counterparts. For a start, they typically last several days, as this one did. The first day of celebrations was on the Thursday, when I was invited over to the bride's house to get henna done with her closest female relatives and friends. Traditionally, single women have henna only on their hands and married women have henna on their hands and feet, supposedly as an aid to matchmaking, which I am told is quite common at mixed weddings. It is applied by a professional who you hire to come to your house and it is made with lime juice or, if you want to make it last longer, a chemical such as acetone (which is used in nail polish remover!) It comes in a variety of styles from more traditional patterns which cover the whole hand or foot to more modern floral patterns, which is what our henna lady opted for. I personally enjoy the fact that this 'henna' party equates to our 'hen' parties in England.
On the second day, so I was told, there was a party entirely for the menfolk, as this wedding was quite traditional, so segregated - not even the bride was present. I took this time to head to the souk with a Moroccan friend in tow to seek out a traditional outfit for the following night, as I hadn't had a chance between Ramadan and my trip to England.
I'm rather pleased with the choice I made! This is a kaftan, with a sparkly belt to cinch it in at the waist and the world's most sparkly shoes. I look forward to trying this look out at balls when I return to Cambridge as it made me feel like a princess!
On Saturday it was the women's party! I was so excited to experience a real Moroccan wedding for the first time! My friend and I spent a good few hours putting on make up and doing our hair before finally heading to the wedding for 11pm - this is another fundamental difference; Moroccan weddings usually take place at night. The night then consists of three main elements: 1) food 2) dancing and 3) watching the bride and groom enter multiple times in multiple outfits and have their photo taken. The food was very good; a chicken tagine and a meat tagine followed by lots of fruit and we danced until 6.30am, aided by a 'djette' who sang along to the traditional music and initiated the traditional dances (including a number involving running with rifles!)
The third element is certainly unique to Moroccan weddings, but it did give the bride a chance to showcase a number of beautiful kaftans culminating in a traditional Berber outfit, with her new husband wearing a traditional djelleba and yellow leather slippers. Her outfit consisted of a red braided headdress and white kaftan. Despite this being a 'women's only' affair, close male family members of the bride and groom were invited, including the bride's brother-in-laws and nephew. Another fun element were the four women who also changed their outfits to match the bride's and who often carried her on a platform balanced on their shoulders. Having previously been shown videos of Moroccan weddings, I knew this was a normal part, however our bride looked completely terrified every time she was lifted!
All in all I had a wonderful night soaking in the traditional Moroccan wedding customs and would heartily recommend going if you ever invited!
