The Wedding Day

A Moroccan wedding day proper starts in the bride’s home with the arrival of the ngaffa (pronounced engaffa) who dresses the bride and does her hair and make-up and generally bosses everyone about (think gaffer).  This will be the first dress of many that the bride will wear during the celebrations.  Underneath the exuberantly colourful kaftans and takshitas that she will appear in, the bride is usually wearing two layers of underwear consisting of demure bra and pants with a modest white vest (long-sleeved in the winter) and long pantaloons on the top.
Once she has been dressed it is time for the henna to be applied.  Both hands and feet are completely covered with intricate designs – it seems almost as if she is wearing lacy gloves and socks.  The henna is supposed to bring good fortune and health and I have heard it is traditional that a bride should not have to do any work in her new home until the wedding henna has worn off – sadly secret top up kits are not available 😦
Some wedding guests – almost exclusively women – will start to arrive while the henna is being applied.  Along with lots of chatter, there will be singing and dancing with the women accompanying themselves on hand drums.  Mint tea and delicious little biscuits made with almonds, coconut, chocolate and marzipan are served to keep the body and soul together.

wedding henna

When the henna is done, the bride sits and waits….

Elsewhere in the house, pots are filled with cooking lamb and prunes or chicken with lemon and olives, couscous is being steamed and bread baked in vast quantities.  There is nothing like a fixed guest list with written invitations and a polite reminder to R.S.V.P. – people are invited by word of mouth, they turn up and (somehow or other) will be fed.

In the meantime in the groom’s house, his family and friends are gathering.  At some point in the evening they will arrive en masse at the bride’s home carrying gifts and accompanied by a band of musicians playing on hand drums and long trumpets.  This medieval sounding procession will wake up the neighbourhood as they arrive – traditionally with the groom on horseback but more often nowadays with everybody standing in the back of several pick-up trucks.  Now the party can really start!

You can read about the party next week!