I am loving your interaction regarding my wedding tradition posts. Last week, we talked about Indian weddings , and now I wanted to talk about Muslim weddings . Those who accompany me have already seen that I performed an elopement wedding of a Muslim with a Brazilian in Dubai .
The Muslim wedding is, in my opinion, one of the most different that I have ever had the pleasure of organizing . The first big change is: unlike us, who celebrate love together and beside what we love, they celebrate this day apart . But what do you mean, Simone? That’s right. Groom and bride have separate parties, hers being much more lively and festive.
The men’s party is not really a party , at least not for me, who love to produce a real party. Kkkk… I say it ‘s more of a cocktail between men . It happens during the day, lasts very little time, the necessary for the guests to appear, congratulate the groom, eat something from the cocktail and go home.
In this meeting, the only attraction is Dabkeh. Dance, typical of the Levant area (Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and part of Turkey), is common on special occasions, such as weddings and folklore dates. The dance is marked by foot stomping (or dabkeh, in Arabic the word means tap-tapping / tapping the floor), applause and shouting. The dabkeh is a dance that requires energy and strength and usually takes the form of a semicircle or “row” with the dancers. Usually, there is a leader among the dancers, called “raas” (“head” in Arabic), who has the role of conducting.
The women’s party, which takes place at night, is a real party! It is this party that we see everywhere, on Pinterest, on television, in the soap … Here the sky is the limit (literally, since there is no shortage of money). Decorations are the most complex you will ever see. Miles and miles of flower-covered ceilings, state-of-the-art technology, statues … The buffet is super plentiful , with food carts passing by all the time … everything! Only women enter here, and it is only here that they can remove the hijabe , that scarf they use to cover their heads.
But Simone, are the bride and groom not meeting at any time during the wedding? Yes, they do. At the women’s party, after dinner, at some attractions, the groom and his father go to the party. However, just to take the official photos. They stay a few minutes and leave. After that, the party continues into the night, with a lot of joy and fun.
Different, right? But you know it’s a really cool different . Although the bride and groom are not together, it is like saying goodbye to their friends. It is one last party in which they will not be together. Unlike us, who possibly go alone at events, they don’t. From the wedding, they can no longer go to events alone. The man can, but the woman never.
I hope you enjoyed,
See you next week,
Simone.
