Villagers' legation to a Moroccan wedding
A group of Moroccan villagers going to
another village to celebrate an event, this event could be a marriage,
circumcision, or born ceremonies. This is one of many Moroccan villages' norms
that are disappearing day after day, due to huge social changes. In Moroccan
villages, marriage or any other ceremony is an opportunity for tribes or
villages to meet, in order to discuss important subjects or mutual worries.
When wedding's day is set, some persons
are sent to invite villagers from different villages to the wedding. When they
invite other villages everybody there should accept the invitation, unless they
have some excuses not to come.
This picture is a very clear view of the
legations' coming from a village to attend a wedding in another village. We see
here eight men on their donkeys. They are wearing beautiful and occasional
jlabas, with new soles and turbans which are worn by old men, but the last man
there, who seems to be the youngest, is wearing a small red hat and new
varnished black shoes. That last young man is somehow an example of the
changing in villagers clothing. When we take a look at the old men at the front
of the legation, we still see some of the traditional clothing maintenance. The
same thing is true for women who still keep wearing traditional clothes for
weddings.
In some of Moroccan villages, we still
see three days long wedding. The first day is for the families of the groom and
the bride, second day is for women from different villages, third day is for
men from different villages. Thus, a marriage is not just a ceremony in which a
male and a female are going to be attached forever, but, it is a chance in
which ties between different tribes are renewed and tightened again. These ties
are being stronger when the groom and the bride are from different villages or
tribes. These kinds of weddings are used in the past to end wars and conflicts
between tribes or villages. A groom from a strong and well known family is
marrying his female analog in another village. Thus, marriage is a very trusty
institution in Moroccan villages.
Every family should take its gifts.
Somtimes, every village take one gift or more, in which members of the village
are collaborating to buy. This gift can be a beef or a ram. Usually, every
family takes its gifts which can be: cones of sugar, covering, clothing,
vessels, carpets... In this case, guests are helping somehow the new couple to
finish their new home.
Finally, a wedding is not just a matter of the
bride and the groom, but it is an important event for everybody around them.
Neighbors still play a vital role in helping wedding to be successful. For example,
they host guests in their homes, providing their furniture when needed...
Hicham Ibaakiline
Hicham Ibaakiline
