A wedding in Egypt is a lot of rituals and traditions, whose roots go back to the distant past. Egypt is a Muslim country and many traditions, including wedding ones, have a religious connotation. Here the ritual of matchmaking is strictly observed, and the bride, even now, is most often chosen by the groom's family.
In society, it is unacceptable for a girl to meet a man with whom she is not engaged. The article will discuss the wedding in Egypt, the traditions and rituals associated with this event.
Ancient customs
The marriage between a man and a woman was invented in ancient Egypt. Weddings in those old days were also sealed with a marriage contract, in which the rights and obligations of those entering into the union were determined in writing.
A prenuptial agreement, which became very popular nowadays, back in those days, established the share of husband and wife in their joint property.
The custom of exchanging rings is also invented in ancient Egypt. That ring was considered a symbol of stability of relations and eternal love. This custom has spread throughout the world, however, in a slightly modified form. The Egyptians put a wedding ring on the middle finger of the left hand, it was believed that through it a vein passes to the heart. In Russia and Europe, rings are worn on the ring finger of the right hand, according to Slavic traditions, the ring has miraculous power and protects marriage from evil spirits. Currently, most Egyptians adhere to the European manner of wearing the ring.
For a long time, certain traditions in the wedding ritual have been established, which have survived to this day.
The traditions of modern Egypt
An Egyptian family is created not by the love of the young, but by the conspiracy of relatives. In more secular families, young people themselves choose a soul mate, but the opinion of their parents is still taken into account. As a rule, Egyptians get married very early, at about 13-14 years old. But not one of them will go for an insolvent groom, even if age is very running out.
Before marriage, the girl’s life in the family is not sweet, her parents do not take her eyes off her, because even an innocent kiss on the cheek can ruin the girl’s life. If she allowed something free in relation to herself, she should marry this person or they will call her “sharmuta” (prostitute) until the end of her days. She will be sent to the countryside for hard work, where she will grow old all alone, she will have no chance of marriage, family, or children.
Before the engagement, the young people get acquainted only in the presence of relatives and parents, they are by no means left in private, as this can discredit the girl. If they liked each other, there is a ceremony of matchmaking and redemption of the bride.
Before the wedding, the groom negotiates the amount of the ransom of the bride. This is carried out in the form of an ordinary bargaining, during which the size of the ransom and gift to parents for the daughter is determined.
After meeting and matchmaking, the engagement is not immediate. Parents discuss the following issues in detail:
- Does the groom have their own housing.
- When he intends to acquire it (if not).
- The size of the ransom for the bride is a specific amount, the girl buys gold and jewelry for her, which will provide her with financial stability in the event of a divorce.
- The size of the dowry.
Thus, parents find out how wealthy a man is and whether he can support his future wife. The bride is required to equip the kitchen of their future home (dishes, kitchen sets, appliances).
Only if the parents were able to agree on all these points, the date of the engagement is assigned. It should be noted that the engagement is a whole celebration in Egypt, to which many guests are invited and a feast is arranged.
Betrothal
During the betrothal, a young man comes to the bride with a gift. This is usually jewelry. He gives her four wedding rings and a necklace. It is believed that the more expensive the gift, the richer the groom. In addition, he must provide the bride's parents with evidence that he has his own home or the exact time when he is going to buy it.
After the rite of engagement, the young are allowed to meet, walk along the streets, go to the movies and cafes, but, most often, they are still accompanied by relatives from the bride's side. All this is done so that no one doubts the piety of the girl. Before marriage, the young have no intimate relationships, touches and kisses.
If a young husband during a wedding night discovers that his wife is not a virgin, he chases her away with terrible shame. A spot of dishonor lies on the girl's family, which is very difficult to get rid of. In ancient times, a girl could be taken to the desert and killed. And the unfaithful wife was dragged to the square, where the crowd stoned her to death. Of course, such atrocities in modern society have not survived, but here, as before, female piety is very strictly treated.
You should immediately put a drop of tar in a barrel of honey! Many urban Egyptians lead a completely European way of life, but they do it secretly from their parents and relatives. And as soon as a suitable groom comes up, they go to the doctor and perform an operation to restore virginity, after which they prepare for the wedding.
Wedding preparations
A wedding in Egypt is called Zeffah. The ceremony depends on the level of well-being of families. Rich Egyptians prefer to arrange weddings in a European way, middle-class people prefer to adhere to national traditions.
Weddings of sudden, secret, urgent, pregnancy, of course, in the country there.
Traditionally, the bride is dressed in a white dress, the more magnificent it is, the better. At the wedding, the girl is allowed the neckline. Also, she may not wear a scarf. The groom is wearing a suit.
Before the wedding, the bride traditionally visits the hammam, where she is painted with henna hands and feet.
Modern wedding
A modern wedding in Egypt (photo below) is held the same way as thousands of years ago, has the same traditions, rituals and customs. The groom takes the bride out of the house, they go to the mosque, where nikah is held (the so-called marriage in the Islamic world). Then begins the solemn feast. The young are seated in armchairs and fumigated with smoke.
During the feast, national music sounds, drums beat, horns sound. After this, the Qur'an is read, the bride and groom give a marriage vow. After the rite, the young are taken to their new home and left alone.
Feast
Later in the evening, a feast is organized. Relatives, neighbors, friends are invited. Everyone, including young ones, comes to the feast in new clothes. Before the meal, the Koran is read. The feast is accompanied by dancing, moreover, men and women dance separately from each other.
A festive pilaf, a lot of snacks and sweets must be present on the table of dishes. For young people prepare a special wedding soup with lots of seasonings.
An interesting tradition of a wedding in Egypt is that young people should definitely dance a shemodan - this is a rather complicated, but interesting dance with a candelabra on its head. Without it, the newlyweds are not considered spouses. At the first sounds of a shemodan, guests line up in a circle in which they launch the bride, groom and girl, which shows the bride the movement of the dance. For half an hour the bride performs a belly dance for the groom under the cries of exulting guests.
Judging by the reviews, a wedding in Egypt is an exciting and mysterious sight, it seems as if you are being transported to the times of Ancient Egypt.
After the banquet, the young go to their new home and begin a life together.
Family lifestyle
As a rule, in Egyptian families patriarchy. The woman does not work, but is engaged in household chores and raising children. The man works and provides a family. He makes decisions in the family and manages finances. It should be noted that women obey their husbands in everything, for example, if he forbids her to go out, she will completely turn into a recluse.
Polygamy
According to Muslim traditions, a man can marry several women (maximum 4), both simultaneously and some time later. But then he will have to ask the permission of his first wife. Moreover, he should be able to financially provide for every woman. All women should be provided equally, that is, if one has an apartment, then the other wife should acquire equivalent housing.
An Egyptian woman can only marry an Arab, while a man can marry a woman of any nationality.
Divorce
Since ancient times there is only one way to get a divorce. A man needs to say the word “talak” three times, which means “divorce”. If he pronounces it 2 times, then he can still return to his wife. But after the third time, he will not be able to return to his wife. After the divorce, the woman returns to her parents' house, she takes her wedding present and dowry (if her husband allows).
A woman can also initiate a divorce, but only if the husband does not support her financially, is absent for more than four months, or if he has mental problems. In addition, she must bring two witnesses.
It should be noted that the situation of a woman after a divorce is not enviable. Therefore, they put up with a lot and go to great lengths to maintain their marital status.
