A wedding in Egypt is a lot of rituals and traditions, the roots of which go back to the distant past. Egypt is a Muslim country and many traditions, including weddings, have a religious connotation. The ritual of matchmaking is strictly observed here, and the bride, even at present, is most often chosen by the groom's family.
It is not acceptable in society for a girl to date a man she is not engaged to. The article will talk about a wedding in Egypt, about the traditions and rituals associated with this event.
Ancient customs
Marriage between a man and a woman was invented in ancient Egypt. Weddings in those ancient times were also sealed by a marriage contract, which defined in writing the rights and obligations of those entering into the union.
The prenuptial agreement, which has become very popular these days, even in those days established the share of husband and wife in their joint property.
The custom of exchanging rings was also invented in ancient Egypt. It was the ring that was considered a symbol of stability in relationships and eternal love. This custom has spread throughout the world, however, in a somewhat modified form. The Egyptians wore a wedding ring on the middle finger of the left hand, it was believed that a vein passes through it to the heart. In Russia and Europe, rings are worn on the ring finger of the right hand; according to Slavic legends, the ring has miraculous powers and protects marriage from evil spirits. Nowadays, most Egyptians follow the European style of wearing a ring.
For a long time certain traditions have been established in the wedding ritual, which have survived to this day.
Traditions of Modern Egypt
Egyptian family is created not for the love of the young, but by conspiracy of relatives. In more secular families, young people choose their soul mate themselves, but the opinion of their parents is still taken into account. As a rule, Egyptian women get married very early, at about 13 - 14 years old. But none of them will marry a bankrupt groom, even if age is running out.
Before marriage, the life of a girl in the family is not sweet, her parents do not take their eyes off her, because even an innocent kiss on the cheek can ruin a girl's life. If she allowed something free in relation to herself, she must marry this person or until the end of her days she will be called a “sharmuta” (prostitute). She will be sent to the countryside for hard work, where she will grow old all alone, no chance for marriage, family, children.she won't.
Before the engagement, young people get to know each other only in the presence of relatives and parents, in no case are they left alone, as this can discredit the girl. If they like each other, the ceremony of matchmaking and bride ransom takes place.
Before the wedding, the groom negotiates the amount of the ransom of the bride. This is done in the form of a regular auction, during which they determine the amount of the ransom and a gift to parents for their daughter.
After meeting and matchmaking, the engagement is not concluded immediately. Parents discuss the following in detail:
- Does the groom have his own housing.
- When he intends to buy it (if not).
- The size of the bride price is a specific amount, with which the girl buys herself gold and jewelry, which will ensure her financial stability in the event of a divorce.
- The size of the dowry.
Thus, parents find out how we althy a man is and whether he can support his future wife. The bride is required to equip the kitchen of their future home (dishes, kitchen set, appliances).
Only if the parents managed to agree on all these points, the engagement date is set. It should be noted that the engagement is a whole celebration in Egypt, to which many guests are invited and a feast is arranged.
Betrothal
During the engagement, a young man comes to the bride with a gift. This is usually jewelry. He gives her four wedding rings and a necklace. It is believed that the more expensive the gift, the richer the groom. In addition, hemust provide the bride's parents with evidence that he has his own housing or tell the exact time when he is going to buy it.
After the betrothal ceremony, young people are allowed to meet, walk the streets, go to the cinema and cafes, but, most often, they are still accompanied by relatives from the bride's side. All this is done so that no one doubts the piety of the girl. Before marriage, young people do not have any intimate relationships, touches and kisses.
If a young husband discovers during his wedding night that his wife is not a virgin, he drives her away with great disgrace. A stain of dishonor falls on the girl's family, which is very difficult to get rid of. In ancient times, a girl could be taken out into the desert and killed. And the unfaithful wife was dragged out to the square, where the crowd stoned her to death. Of course, such atrocities have not survived in modern society, but here women's piety is still treated very strictly.
You should immediately put a drop of tar in a barrel of honey! Many urban Egyptians lead a completely European lifestyle, but they do it secretly from their parents and relatives. And as soon as a suitable groom turns up, they go to the doctor and have an operation to restore virginity, after which they prepare for the wedding.
Preparing for the wedding
A wedding in Egypt is called a zeffa. The ceremony depends on the level of we alth of families. We althy Egyptians prefer to have European-style weddings, middle-class people prefer to stick to national ones.traditions.
Sudden, secret, urgent weddings, due to pregnancy, of course, there are no weddings in the country.
Traditionally, the bride is dressed in a white dress, the more magnificent it is, the better. At the wedding, the girl is allowed neckline. Also, she may not wear a headscarf. The groom is wearing a suit.
Before the wedding, the bride traditionally visits the hammam, where her hands and feet are painted with henna.
Modern wedding
A modern wedding in Egypt (photo below) is held in the same way as thousands of years ago, has the same traditions, rituals and customs. The groom takes the bride out of the house, they go to the mosque, where nikah (the so-called marriage in the Islamic world) is held. Then the solemn feast begins. Young people are seated in chairs and smoked.
During the feast, national music sounds, drums beat, horns sound. After that, the Koran is read, the bride and groom make a marriage vow. After the ceremony, the young are taken to their new home and left alone.
Feast
Toward evening they arrange a feast. Relatives, neighbors, friends are invited. Everyone, including young people, comes to the feast in new clothes. Before the meal, the Koran is read. The feast is accompanied by dancing, and men and women dance separately from each other.
On the table of dishes there must be a festive pilaf, a lot of snacks and sweets. A special wedding soup with a lot of spices is prepared for the newlyweds.
An interesting wedding tradition in Egyptis that young people should definitely dance shemodan - this is a rather complicated, but interesting dance with a candelabra on the head. Without it, newlyweds are not considered spouses. At the first sounds of shemodan, the guests line up in a circle, into which they launch the bride, the groom and the girl, who shows the bride the movements of the dance. For half an hour, the bride performs a belly dance for the groom to the cries of jubilant guests.
Judging by the reviews, a wedding in Egypt is a spectacular and mysterious sight, it seems as if you are transported back to the times of Ancient Egypt.
After the banquet, the young go to their new home and start living together.
Family way of life
As a rule, Egyptian families are patriarchy. The woman does not work, but is engaged in household chores and raising children. A man works and provides for his family. He also makes decisions in the family and manages finances. It should be noted that women obey their husbands in everything, for example, if he forbids her to go out, she will completely turn into a recluse.
Polygamy
A man, according to Muslim traditions, can marry several women (maximum 4), both simultaneously and some time later. But then he would have to ask permission from his first wife. At the same time, he should be able to financially provide for every woman. All women should be equally provided for, that is, if one has an apartment, then he must also buy another wifehousing of equal value.
An Egyptian can only marry an Arab, a man can marry a woman of any nationality.
Divorce
Since ancient times, there is only one way to get a divorce. A man needs to say the word "talaq" three times, which means "divorce". If he says it 2 times, then he can still return to his wife. But after the third time, he will no longer be able to return to his wife. After the divorce, the woman returns to her parents' house, she takes her wedding gift and dowry (if her husband allows).
A woman can also initiate a divorce, but only if her husband does not support her financially, is absent for more than four months, or if he has mental problems. In addition, she must bring two witnesses.
It should be noted that the position of a woman after a divorce is not enviable. Therefore, they endure a lot and go to any lengths to maintain their marital status.
Marry an Egyptian
Egyptians are very fond of women. And today, a wedding in Egypt with a Russian bride is a common occurrence. As a rule, relationships are established during the girl's vacation at the resort.
What is life together with an Egyptian man?
First of all, it is necessary for a lawyer to conclude an free-contract, it is signed in the presence of two witnesses (men). The contract is not registered anywhere and does not oblige the parties to anything. But without this document, it is impossible to appear with a man in public places and, moreover, live with him, if this document is not available, the manthere will be serious problems with the police.
Ofri-contract can be legalized in court, then there will be a document on hand that officially recognizes a man and a Russian girl as husband and wife. This process will take about 3 months. Then the marriage should be legalized at the Russian Embassy or in Russia.
It is best to conclude a prenuptial agreement, which specifies how the property will be divided and with whom the children will remain after the divorce. You should know that, despite all the agreements and the marriage contract, the issue of children and property under Egyptian law is decided in favor of the man, if he wants to.
Foreign women are not protected in their rights and live in the country without any support from the state and legislation, so before deciding whether to link your fate with an overseas fiance or not, you should think carefully
After marriage, you will have to change your worldview, reconsider your outlook on life, accept and follow the Muslim rules of behavior in society. A woman in Egyptian society always plays a secondary role, obeys all traditions, rituals and prohibitions.
