MOROCCO WEDDING BELLS

Photos by Luke Thomas

Morocco is a place with very rich and active traditions and many of these can be seen at Moroccan wedding ceremonies. The traditional Moroccan wedding has quite an elaborate process that can take up to seven days due to the numerous pre-wedding ceremonies which take place before the actual wedding. The wedding festive are quite expensive. It starts with the paying of a dowry.The dowry price usually comprise of purchasing household items and furniture for the bride. If the grooms parents are very wealthy, they will pay for these items themselves. The bride also receives golden jewelry and is sent presents of cloth, clothing and perfume from her groom every feast day.

Photos by Luke Thomas


Every bride is beautiful on her wedding day, but in Morocco, she gets to be a queen, too!

Days before the matrimonial event, necessities such as a mattress and blanket are taken to the bridal chamber. There the bride is given a bath in hammam which is a sort of milk bath that is meant to purify the bride. Her negaffa (female attendants) will usually supervise the event. The negaffa - who are usually older married women, female friends and relatives - spend enormous time beautifying the bride for the ceremony. After dressing her in an elaborately decorated wedding kaftan (usually white) they proceed to decorate her with heavy jewelry and darken her eyes with kohl a thick dark eyeliner.

The group then proceeds to have a beberiska ceremony in which the hands and feet of the bride and her party are painted with henna. The bride's designs are always the most intricate and the various floral and geometric designs are meant to ward off evil spirits, bring good luck and increase fertility. The grooms name is often hidden in the henna designs. The negaffa will usually take this opportunity to discuss the 'secrets' of marriage with the young virgin. In some ceremonies the bride will then be placed behind a curtain to symbolize her change of lifestyle. In more remote areas, this ceremony would only take place the day before the wedding. Often, a bride is not expected to do any house work until her henna has faded.

Once all this preparation is complete, food is prepared in excess to cater for unexpected guests and the festivities begin.Traditionally in the past the men and woman would celebrate these festivities at separate locations.

This is the "palankeen" traditionally used to carry the bride along the neighborhood, followed by a crowd of singing and screaming people. This is the moment when the bride arrives in the party hall and the four guys start to dance with the palankeen.
Photo by Luke Thomas

At some point in the evening, the groom would leave to make his way towards the bridal party accompanied by a group of friends who sing, beat drums and dance. The bride would be lifted up on a circular cushion or table and the groom on the shoulders of his friends. The two would then be carried to the bridal chamber where they would be expected to consummate their marriage. The bridal party would then examine their sheets for signs of blood to confirm the bride's virginity. The two would then journey to their new home and the bride would circle her home three times before becoming the keeper of her new hearth.

Photos by Luke Thomas

Although the hamman bath is still used quite often in more rural areas, it is sometimes completely overlooked in the cities and towns. And though young brides are still quite happy to don their ceremonial kaftans, these are now more often shop bought because modern machinery has caused hand made kaftans to be considered an expensive rarity. Many women who consider themselves to be more 'modern' have also rejected the intricate henna designs that usually adorn the bride.The food is now more often provided by caterers instead of family members. Most young people have begun to choose their own marriage partners and ask for their parent's blessing on the arrangement. In the past, a marriage partner was always chosen for them. The celebrations still take place at different locations for the men and woman. Often, someone is employed to paint the hands of guests with henna.

Music played at during the wedding festive range from the traditional Berber, Andalusian or Arabian, or they can be popular modern tunes played on traditional instruments. The young groom is accompanied by singing, dancing friends although usually, there are a few car hooters. Nowadays, instead of immediately consummating their marriage at this point, the bride and groom prefer consummate the marriage privately after the wedding party. They usually go to a hotel instead of the traditional marriage chamber and no one expects them to display their sheets as proof of the bride's virginity.

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 is generally thought of as being the most important decision that both the man and woman can make. Because of this, the whole affair is expensive and elaborate.

The Imilchil Moussem/Wedding Fair

Once a year the people of the various mountain tribes in the Atlas Mountains converge at a special meeting place for the Imilchil Moussem. This special meeting which takes place in September is primarily a massive souk where 30 000 or more Berbers gather to sell and trade their possessions. However, the gathering is not merely an exercise in financial expertise - it is also the place of the largest wedding fair in the country. The tradition was started when officials during the colonial area insisted that Berbers assemble once a year to register births, deaths and marriages. After Morocco claimed independence, the tourist office encouraged the continuation of the festival.

Contrary to popular belief, very few of the marriages here are prearranged. The woman arrive in ceremonial garb and they spend time flirting and getting to know the available men during the festivities and dances. Many of them already know each other. Then, near the end of the celebration, the marriage ceremonies begin and several new marriages are made simultaneously. This ceremony has, in more recent times, received a lot of tourist attention which has detracted from the ceremonies authenticity. However, the joyous occasion continues down to this day and the exact date of the festival can be obtained from the tourist board should you wish to be a part of it.

TEXT AND MORE INFORMATION
http://www.morocco.com

MOROCCAN TANNERY

Fez is the center of the Moroccan leather industry. Tanning hides may be dirty and smelly work but some one has to do it.This job is not for the faint of hearts a difficult chore requiring strength and endurance. The products from the tannery are products to be proud of but few will know the journey the skin they adorn went through. Much of the tannery odour comes from pigeon droppings. Pigeon droppings contain ammonia that soften the skin making the skin become like a piece of cloth.

Visitors to the tanneries climb up narrow stairs and look down on the tanning process, smelling mint leaves to sweeten the smell of the tannery. The dying is still done mostly by hand in huge vats. Skins are then laid out to dry after being dyed.

WATCH VIDEO ON THE TANNERY
Moroccan Tannery video by National geographic
(the young man's story in this clip is very sad)

MOROCCAN FASHION

Nearly all Moroccan men wear baboosh—those soft leather slippers with no heel, often in yellow. Many women do as well but others wear high-heeled sandals, often in silver or gold tinsel.

Women are strongly attached to their "Moroccan wardrobe", despite the financial costs involved. The production of such garments is relatively expensive, as most of the work is done by hand. Despite the costs involved most women purchase a minimum of one new kaftan every year, normally for a special, social event, such as a religious festival or a wedding.

This jellaba is a national garment for men in Morocco and is beautifully made of polyester. The jellaba is hooded and long sleeved.Jellabas have a hood, while a Kaftan does not. The women’s jellabas are often colourful with ornate patterns, stitching, or beading, while men wear jellabas in plain and neutral colors.

This Moroccan garment is called gandora and is worn by men in Morocco. The gandora doesn’t have a hood and doesn’t have long sleeves like a Moroccan jellaba.

In Morocco, this beautiful piece is called Burnoose or Selham. It is made in Morocco from a nice blend of wool and cotton. This Burnoose also has a hood with an elegant tassel. The Burnoose is worn by both Imazighen (Berbers) and Arabs. This garment is traditionally worn on a long garment such as a Moroccan hooded jellaba or a white Saharan gandora or robe as you can see on the image. The Moroccan Burnoose is a garment for any occasion.

This garment, traditionally called a Gandora, is worn by men in the Saharan regions of Morocco. It is prestigious for men of the Sahara to wear lots of cloth. A long cotton turban is a traditional accent that is usually worn with these Saharan garments.

This Saharan turban is traditional and is a very practical head dress that men use for many purposes. Men in the Sahara Desert would use this turban to protect them selves from the wind, from the dust, from the cold during those harsh dry cold winter days and also against the pounding heat. Men in the Sahara, especially among the Kel Tamashek people also called Tuareg would wear a turban like this and cover their faces except the eyes even when they need to eat or drink. You would wonder why they would put theme selves through this, but it is a cultural practice to show respect to the others especially the elders in the community.

For special occasions, men also wear a red cap called tarbouche and mostly referred to as Fez.

IMAGES OF MOROCCAN FASHION SCENE

Hillary Clinton in Moroccan attire