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Traditions
of Marriage
In
Morocco: Preceding
the Wedding with Henna
In some parts of
Morocco, tradition requires that five days before the wedding, the bride
has a ceremonial bath, then is painted with henna swirls on hands and
feet, and adorned with makeup and jewels by other women.
For centuries,
elaborate henna has been applied to Moroccan brides. The night before
the wedding, the bride and other women gather together for the henna
ritual. The bride receives the most elaborate designs, while the other
women are often patterned with lesser designs, covering only small
portions of the body. Within the bride’s henna design is often found
the name of the groom. Further, a bride is not expected to perform any
housework until her henna has faded.
The wedding henna
ritual has a deeper purpose than mere aesthetic beauty. During the
evening of the henna party, the older, married women share the secrets
of marriage with the bride-to-be. Moroccan women continue the tradition
to this day. However, there are some women in
Morocco
who refuse to wear henna in an effort to move in a more “modern”
direction. This is not to say that women with henna are not
“modern,” but rather demonstrating the various views of henna within
the Moroccan context.
Before becoming guardian of her hearth, the Moroccan bride circles her
marriage home three times.
* Source: www.zawaj.com
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