This weekend, the long awaited marriage arrived, not that I actually knew the people getting married or anything, but who wouldn't want to see a traditional Moroccan/Berber wedding?
We started our day with a round of henna. We had been told that our maid does henna, and for the wedding, we thought it would be fun to try. Henna is a natural dye that stains a person's skin and can last for weeks. It comes in all different sorts of colors, but in Morocoo it is usually an orange color. It is applied with a seringe and a steady hand. Professionals make elaborate designs with fine detail. Our henna was not so intricate, but it was a fun experience.
Getting ready strarted with a trip to the hairdresser. Majda got her hair done first. Anne and I both sat transfixed as we watched the ladies curl her hair using nothing but a circular brush and a blow dryer. Then they would roll up her hair and pin it. When they unpinned Majda's hair to actually put it up, her hair fell onto her shoulders in loose curls. Anne was next and her hair was prepared in much the same way, but when the ladies went to put up her hair, they needed more poof, so they reached for a bag of hair clippings that they stuffed under a layer of Anne's hair. I feared my hair would suffer the same fate, but luckily, with crazy teasing, I learned how thick my hair actually was.
We came home and did make up and nails. I was the resident make up artist. Majda distributed jewelry-gold, pearls, and stones. Amina helped us all climb into our takshiitas. We had just enough time to pose in the living room and at the grand piano for some pictures, and then we three ladies headed for the marriage! We arrived at about 9:30 pm.
The wedding was at a big new hotel over in the same neighborhood as the school. There were carpets leading up the path to the door, and traditional drummers lined the carpet. An espresso stand was right outside the door too, to start prepping the guests for the long night that was ahead of them.
The reception hall was a very large circular room with 50 foot ceilings. About 25 tables filled the room, all with 10 chairs around them. The tables were covered with white table cloths and the chairs had white coverings as well. We sat at a table near the door, and unhappily, near the traditional Moroccan band. Not that the music wasn't good, it is just that it was incredibly loud. The guests sat mute while the songs were played, and then in the two minute breaks in between, we could yell pleasantries at one another over the noise of our ringing ears.
Waiters in the traditional penguin suits brought around bite-size cakes and freshly squeezed juices on shiny silver platters.
The bride's entrance was completely spectacular. She was carried in a carriage on four men's shoulders. They danced her into the reception hall, and she smiled down at her guests wearing a beautiful white and silver dress. Her make up was much lighter than her skin tone, revealing the culture's belief that lighter skin is more beautiful. When the song was completed, she was dropped off at the stage that held a couch and crystal chandeliers. Her groom met her there. They sat on the couch together and people crowded around, taking turns to climb the stairs, sit on the couch, and have their picture taken with the couple.
For the majority of the night, I took pleasure in people watching. The women's dresses were fantastically ornate. Some dresses didn't even cover the ladies' shoulders and others had slits up the side that would rival Hollywood's red carpet style. The fabrics ranged from silk to satin to velvet. Every color was represented, and every style could be seen. The bride and groom continued to take pictures with their guests, and I watched as they somewhat awkwardly exchanged rigid conversation. Majda assured us that it was an arranged marriage, and I wondered what the first few months of their marriage would be like, quite different from the first few months of marriage that most of my friends are now enjoying ;)
When the traditional Moroccan band finished its first set, a traditional Berber band across the room started playing. Their sound system was equally as loud, but their instruments were much more exotic! Then traditional Berber dancers took the floor, and Anne and I joined a group of young people and we joined hands and did a simple dance as the Berber dancers did their traditional almost belly dancing-like dance.
Dinner started at 1 am. The bride and groom had disappeared for a while, but when they reappeared, the bride had changed out of her white and silver takshiita and into a green takshiita. There were 4 courses for dinner-pastilla, bread with olives and peppers, sheep with potatoes and carrots, and fruit for dessert. It was absolutely phenomenal. Waiters floated around the tables, bringing out silver platter after silver platter, refilling one's coke, or pouring mint tea. We left shortly after dinner (2am) with our dresses fitting a little tighter.
Majda supplemented our experience by explaining what would be going on for the next 6 hours of the wedding that we would be missing. The bride would be changing takshiitas 3 or 4 more times, each takshiita for a different purpose. For example, there is a special takshiita for actually signing the marriage papers. The bands would continue to play, and people would continue to dance. "If you've been to one Moroccan wedding, you've been to them all," Majda joked.
We started our day with a round of henna. We had been told that our maid does henna, and for the wedding, we thought it would be fun to try. Henna is a natural dye that stains a person's skin and can last for weeks. It comes in all different sorts of colors, but in Morocoo it is usually an orange color. It is applied with a seringe and a steady hand. Professionals make elaborate designs with fine detail. Our henna was not so intricate, but it was a fun experience.
Getting ready strarted with a trip to the hairdresser. Majda got her hair done first. Anne and I both sat transfixed as we watched the ladies curl her hair using nothing but a circular brush and a blow dryer. Then they would roll up her hair and pin it. When they unpinned Majda's hair to actually put it up, her hair fell onto her shoulders in loose curls. Anne was next and her hair was prepared in much the same way, but when the ladies went to put up her hair, they needed more poof, so they reached for a bag of hair clippings that they stuffed under a layer of Anne's hair. I feared my hair would suffer the same fate, but luckily, with crazy teasing, I learned how thick my hair actually was.We came home and did make up and nails. I was the resident make up artist. Majda distributed jewelry-gold, pearls, and stones. Amina helped us all climb into our takshiitas. We had just enough time to pose in the living room and at the grand piano for some pictures, and then we three ladies headed for the marriage! We arrived at about 9:30 pm.
The wedding was at a big new hotel over in the same neighborhood as the school. There were carpets leading up the path to the door, and traditional drummers lined the carpet. An espresso stand was right outside the door too, to start prepping the guests for the long night that was ahead of them.
The reception hall was a very large circular room with 50 foot ceilings. About 25 tables filled the room, all with 10 chairs around them. The tables were covered with white table cloths and the chairs had white coverings as well. We sat at a table near the door, and unhappily, near the traditional Moroccan band. Not that the music wasn't good, it is just that it was incredibly loud. The guests sat mute while the songs were played, and then in the two minute breaks in between, we could yell pleasantries at one another over the noise of our ringing ears.
Waiters in the traditional penguin suits brought around bite-size cakes and freshly squeezed juices on shiny silver platters.
The bride's entrance was completely spectacular. She was carried in a carriage on four men's shoulders. They danced her into the reception hall, and she smiled down at her guests wearing a beautiful white and silver dress. Her make up was much lighter than her skin tone, revealing the culture's belief that lighter skin is more beautiful. When the song was completed, she was dropped off at the stage that held a couch and crystal chandeliers. Her groom met her there. They sat on the couch together and people crowded around, taking turns to climb the stairs, sit on the couch, and have their picture taken with the couple.
For the majority of the night, I took pleasure in people watching. The women's dresses were fantastically ornate. Some dresses didn't even cover the ladies' shoulders and others had slits up the side that would rival Hollywood's red carpet style. The fabrics ranged from silk to satin to velvet. Every color was represented, and every style could be seen. The bride and groom continued to take pictures with their guests, and I watched as they somewhat awkwardly exchanged rigid conversation. Majda assured us that it was an arranged marriage, and I wondered what the first few months of their marriage would be like, quite different from the first few months of marriage that most of my friends are now enjoying ;)
When the traditional Moroccan band finished its first set, a traditional Berber band across the room started playing. Their sound system was equally as loud, but their instruments were much more exotic! Then traditional Berber dancers took the floor, and Anne and I joined a group of young people and we joined hands and did a simple dance as the Berber dancers did their traditional almost belly dancing-like dance.Dinner started at 1 am. The bride and groom had disappeared for a while, but when they reappeared, the bride had changed out of her white and silver takshiita and into a green takshiita. There were 4 courses for dinner-pastilla, bread with olives and peppers, sheep with potatoes and carrots, and fruit for dessert. It was absolutely phenomenal. Waiters floated around the tables, bringing out silver platter after silver platter, refilling one's coke, or pouring mint tea. We left shortly after dinner (2am) with our dresses fitting a little tighter.
Majda supplemented our experience by explaining what would be going on for the next 6 hours of the wedding that we would be missing. The bride would be changing takshiitas 3 or 4 more times, each takshiita for a different purpose. For example, there is a special takshiita for actually signing the marriage papers. The bands would continue to play, and people would continue to dance. "If you've been to one Moroccan wedding, you've been to them all," Majda joked.
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