In Morocco, many marriages cultures
For example Amazigh wedding cultures:
Normally, especially in the south, the family of the man, when he communicates his desire to marry, proposes a girl considered “a good match”, which usually means that she is a good person, kind, patient and wants to have many children. Berber girls have as their main goal to get married and create a nice big family with Moroccan culture. They are educated from an early age for this purpose and learn to take care of the children and the house in the best possible way, as befits a good wife!
At this point, a few meetings are arranged between the two of them. So that they can talk to each other and see if they can get along well together. If they both agree, a date is set for the wedding. If one of the two does not agree, the man will be introduced to another girl.
It often happens that the girl lives far from the man. The tradition is that once married, the woman goes to live in the man’s house.
Other times, however, the man falls in love with a girl and then communicates to the family his desire to marry her, exactly as it happens with us. The only difference is that before getting married, men and women don’t get to spend much time together to get to know each other.
The wedding party normally lasts 3 days.
On the first day, the party takes place at the bride’s house, where all the bride’s relatives and friends are present. The bride usually wears a bright white dress, and is all dressed up, ready to receive the wishes and blessings of family and friends. The groom and his relatives are not present on the first day, and the bride is then prepared for the party on the second day. Other women paint her whole body with henna: real masterpieces with floral patterns painted on her skin!
On the second day, the bride and the whole family move to the groom’s house, where men and women are divided into different areas of the house. On this second day both the bride and groom wear the typical clothes of the Berber ceremony, which have been handed down from generation to generation.
These are long:
White dresses adorned with a colourful sash for him and colourful pom-poms for her on the back. In addition, the bride wears beautiful Berber jewellery, including a necklace of large amber stones and a kind of coloured hood that covers her entire head, because she must not be seen by anyone, except in the evening, at the end of the second day, by her new husband for the wedding night.
During the day, the party consists of times when sweets are eaten and other times when music and dancing are done.
At the end of the second day, then takes place the wedding night of the newlyweds, where finally the man can remove the headdress to the woman and finally reveal her face and hair.
The next morning, as a tradition, to prove that the woman was a virgin. The sheet of the first night’s blood is exposed, which is normally greeted by shouts and considerable enthusiasm from the various relatives and friends who await it with trepidation.
On the third day of the festival
at a certain point, men and women, to the rhythm of drums and songs, come together. The bride and groom approach each other, both with their faces covered, and the groom, in order to seal the union, must sacrifice a ram, slitting its throat in front of everyone. Definitely the strongest scene of the whole ceremony!
Once the animal has been sacrificed, the bride and groom approach each other and can finally hold hands. At that point, the feast continues with men and women together and the mutton is cooked for everyone to eat.
The feast ends in the evening with the ceremony in which the bride removes her headdress in front of everyone and then stays to live at her new husband’s house.
It is therefore a long and heartfelt ceremony, where, as you may have guessed, millenary traditions are still observed, as befits an ancient culture such as the Berber one.
And they lived happily ever after…
Chleuh – Berber Wedding
Tangguift is a wedding ritual.
Marriage among the Chleuhs, as in the whole of the Maghreb, is a crossroads of social, legal, emotional and moral values.
It is a day that everyone waits for at least once in their lives.
Marriage becomes a real legal institution, especially if the woman is subject to exchange operations.
Marriage is an obligation for every man. The inevitable destiny of every woman since the strength of the tribal community is based on the family.
Before beginning to comment on this text. It should be remembered that Berber custom reserves a large place for women in Amazigh society.
The woman in Tamazight is called “Tamghart”, i.e. the chiefess.
The word Tamghart comes from the word Amghar which is the delegate or chief of the tribe.
In case of divorce, Berber custom gives the wife the right to share the house with her husband.
Especially if she helped build the house. This is found in customary law in the Souss region under the name of Tamazzalt, which consists of the distribution between the spouses of the goods acquired during the marriage.
What is undeniable
However, is that the Chleuh marriage is an egalitarian production society, where each entitled person, including the woman, contributes his or her capital and labour. The woman’s capital is the Jihaz*, and her share of the assets is Tizzla*. Nothing of the kind in Arab countries.
It is true that the law of Tamazzalt is not found in any Arab country. Not even in the Sharia.
And the new Moroccan Moudawwan has just applied this law in the new family code in Morocco.
Lyautey did not miss the opportunity to speak of his admiration for the Amazigh custom and democracy among the Imazighen.
What characterises a Berber civilisation is a democratic and municipal spirit, a whole set of customs, and last but not least, the use of the Berber language
It has been said that marriage among the Chleuhs is a crossroads of social values, the first of which is Honour.
The Amazigh woman:
like all Mediterranean women, is intimately linked to the subjective notion of honour.
Several passages in the text clearly show the importance of honour for the Amazigh, especially on the wedding night.
We find in the text the question that the father of the bride asked his daughter on the night of her wedding, saying
Tisuranw Aylli Magh Llant? (Where are my keys, my daughter?)
He means have you protected our honour?
It should also be noted that the text does not forget religion. Moreover, Tangguift begins with the name of God, the protection of God and that of the Prophet Muhammad.
But what should be noted above all is the influence of Shi’ism in Amazigh society?. In the text, Ali is mentioned as the “Shi’ite Imam” who was the third caliph among the four rightly guided caliphs “al-Khulafa’ Arrachidin”, and the father of Hassan and Lahoucine.
It also refers to Fatima who is the wife of Ali.
In the text, there are many passages that speak of the worship of saints or maraboutism “Attaqarrubu Ila l-Awliyya Wa l-Adriha”.
We quote
“sidi Hemad umusa gid adar zewuragh
“aSSalHin ula lawliyya tas3d n illi
” aSSalHin ula lawliyya ka sa n-zigiz “
” alacheyakh n darnegh rewaHt ukan ad nmun “
Notes in Moroccan culture
– Taghjijt is an oasis 200km south of Agadir. Between Bouizakaren and Tata.
– TilwaH: plural of TalluHt it is a wooden board on which the student of the Koranic school calligraphed the Koranic verses to take it by heart.
– Sidi Hmad Umusa: a famous saint of the south Moroccan of Tazreoult near Tafraout.
Lalla Fatima: Fatima Zahra the daughter of Prophet Mohammed who is the wife of Ali B. Abi Talib.
– Ali: the third ” Kalifs Rachidites ” the rightly guided caliphs. The spiritual imam of the Shiites.
– Lahcen and Lahoucine: Lahcen is the deviation of Hassan. So they are two sons of Ali b. abi Talib.
1-BEN CHIKH Amina, ” La femme amazigh entre le droit coutumier et la modawana “, Journal le Monde Amazigh.
– Jihaz: contribution of the bride’s own property to the community.
– tizla: tamazzalt, the devoted one.
How to explore Moroccan cultures?
The best way to travel in Morocco is with a local travel agency, and I recommend “Morocco Tour Operator” agency it is one of the best travel agencies in Morocco. In this way you can explore the best of Moroccan cultures
