Arab wedding: description, traditions, customs and features

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Many of us believe that an Arab wedding is a closed and boring event, as religion does not allow for luxurious feasts. However, this is absolutely not the case. Of course, obedience to Islam plays perhaps the most important role in the life of a Muslim. It imposes many prohibitions, and every UAE citizen considers obedience to the laws of Islam his duty. With regards to the wedding ceremony, there are a number of restrictions. But Arabs celebrate weddings so grandiose that many Europeans would envy. In this article, we will tell you about how a wedding is celebrated in the United Arab Emirates.

Matchmaking

The decision to marry is traditionally taken by the head of the family - the father. Very often, these people are not guided by the idea of a happy family life for their child. For example, if this very head of the family owes someone a large sum, then he, without any remorse, can give his beautiful daughter in marriage to the debtor in order to subsequently write off the debt. Or, without looking for profit, give away a daughter or son for the first successful passion that comes across, if only to “shake off” them into adulthood as soon as possible.

Women in the UAE livecompletely separate from men, communicating only with the closest relatives, therefore it is not strange that the parents are engaged in the selection of a couple. Arabs are accustomed to such customs, no matter how despotic they may seem to a follower of other religions.

Often, Muslims adhere to the old custom when a girl should not see her future husband before the wedding, much less talk to him. All she can hope for is to accidentally see him from the window, and then she should not tell anyone about it.

How do the bride and groom get to know each other?

All the information that is available to the girl before the wedding is that which she will receive from the groom's relatives: his mother, sisters or aunts. Sometimes the groom is also judged by the impressions that were made in early childhood. Girls and boys under the age of nine can play together under Arab law. Every father of the bride considers it his duty to ask the groom if he had the opportunity to see her. He, in turn, must say that he did not see the girl, he only had the honor to hear about her.

Fathers of brides have one little "trick". If a parent is not indifferent to the opinion of his daughter and he wants to make sure that she will marry a certain chosen one of her own free will, he does the following: he communicates with the girl’s mother and with her, at the same time, as if by chance, he stipulates that he wants to arrange a men’s evening, lists the guests, calling the name of the one who engaged, and watching the reaction of women. If it is positive, he directly burns the daughter who got married, andasks her opinion about it. Only when he receives approval, preparations for the wedding begin.

Practiced in other cases and the communication of the groom with the bride before the wedding. First, women from two families meet to discuss the upcoming marriage, then men. And after that, the groom can talk with his future wife to make a firm decision.

Sometimes parents agree on the engagement when the children are still quite young. They may be less than ten years old when they start talking about getting married.

Pre-wedding preparations

An event like the wedding of an Arab sheikh can have a budget of millions of dollars. Even if the groom is not a sheikh, the average wedding in the UAE costs 80-100 thousand dollars. But this is mainly due to the fact that almost every 13 people in the United Arab Emirates is a millionaire.

So the engagement went well. What happens next? Next, notify relatives and friends. This is done by servants dressed in smart clothes. They go from house to house, offering sweets and other food, and handing out wedding invitations. All preparations usually take no more than a month, and a lot needs to be done during this time.

Days before the wedding

During this period, the bride herself is given many gifts and a dowry, which remains strictly her personal property. Not only the groom, but his whole family is in a hurry to present the future daughter-in-law with the best jewelry, outfits or materials for his tailoring.

Unlike European customs, the ring on the bride's ring finger is put on not by the groom, but by his close relative.

Formally, the marriage is concluded after the signing of the marriage contract, where the groom himself and the representatives of the bride are present. There are also cases when a girl can be present herself, but she must have male relatives with her. After that, the union is considered concluded, but in reality everyone recognizes it only after the wedding ceremony.

Arab wedding traditions

Preparing for the wedding does not end there. The last week before the celebration, the bride should stay in a secluded small room and be dressed in simple clothes. Arabs believe that this way she will look even more beautiful on her wedding day. The groom should not spend the whole week in a dark room, but the last three days before the ceremony he must spend at home surrounded only by his closest relatives and friends.

Arab wedding is a grand event. The wedding ceremony traditionally takes place after sunset. This event can be celebrated for more than one day. On such wedding days, the families of the bride and groom pursue different goals. So, for example, the groom's family considers it their duty to surprise relatives, friends and other ordinary residents of the UAE with a variety of treats and pickles. Tents are even put up on the street, where any passer-by can taste the wedding food. The girl's family will "show off" the decoration of the premises of their house. And this is no coincidence, because the ceremony takes place in the bride's house,and not in a mosque, as some tend to mistakenly believe.

How is the wedding celebrated?

And that's not all there is to an Arab wedding. The customs are quite original. Newlyweds can celebrate both together and separately. Often the bride and groom practice the latter option. Accordingly, the bride celebrates with women, and the groom with men. Even if these two holidays are held in neighboring halls, their guests do not collide with each other at all.

Women in their hall may not cover their heads, pleasant music flows from everywhere, dances go on, treats do not end, and all the girls on this day can take a walk for glory. The most beautiful and elegant among all is the bride. In the middle of the hall is her throne, which really looks like a royal one.

The groom's holiday is no less fun. With only one obligatory condition - no alcohol. Prohibition is in effect in the United Emirates, and Abadites don't even smoke tobacco. Nevertheless, the festivities are luxurious, and the guests do not deny themselves anything. This is the wedding in Arabic style.

If men and women celebrate this celebration separately, at the end of the evening the groom with his father and a witness comes to the women's hall. The ladies are notified in advance of his arrival, as they must have time to cover their heads. The festivities continue. At the end of them, the groom takes the bride to his place.

The wedding night and traditions after the wedding

The Arab wedding is played out, and now it's time for the wedding night. Close relatives should present expensive gifts to the bride. Next, the newlyweds are escorted to the wedding night.

According to the Koran, before entering into an intimate relationship, the newly-made husband and wife are required to perform a series of prayers. On this night, they can even just talk to get to know each other better.

After the wedding night

The next morning the table is set, and guests are again invited. The first weeks after the holiday, the spouses almost do not appear in public. After this period, friends begin to visit them to once again congratulate them on their wedding. This completes the Arab wedding.