Wedding traditions.
Hello, Naula!
Tonight I would like to tell you about some of our social traditions that might not be as strange as those I mentioned before. But still, I suppose most of you would probably like to hear about them.
There are too many social traditions here in Mauritania and sometimes they slightly differ from one district to another.
As you know, writing about a single social habit accurately would need a lot of knowledge and analysis, if somebody wants to thoroughly study the ritual and probe its roots. Therefore, tonight, I just want to pick some of our traditions that relate to weddings. I really expect them to interest you as an outsiders of this Saharan society.
First, instead of being proud of herself, her success and sharing with everybody her plan for the party, the bride here has to huddle somewhere and avoid meeting her parents' visitors, cover her face and stop talking days before the wedding. The explanation the society presents for these behaviours is to make the bride show some shyness and decency.
Acting normally while people discussing her coming up marriage is totally unacceptable.
Second, on the wedding day, the bride also must dress in black.
Our national dress for women ,by the way, is Mulaffah " a long piece of cloths that the woman wears by rolling it on her body in a certain way that reveals her face, hands and feet". It looks a lot like the sari that the Indian women wear. 
So, I don't think you would find it as strange as Boobo which I told you about earlier.
Mulaffah also is not for us exclusively. Two more African countries Sudan and Somalia wear the Mullaffa too.It seems to be designed perfectly to cover all the obesity women used to have.
Some people in the east think Black is a sign of sadness and should be put on only for mourning and poignant events.Therefore, they find the color contradict the joyful mood people at the wedding should be at.
The bride also must pretend that she is crying on the wedding day to prove herself unhappy. Showing happiness about her marriage would be shameful and a sign of obscene according to our norms which still consider sex a taboo.
One more very strange tradition which is more common now in rural areas, is that the bride close female friends would try their best to kidnap her at any time during the wedding party which usually goes on for seven consecutive nights. When they succeed, they would hide her away from the groom friends. Sometimes even take her outside the neighborhood and make sure to limit the number of people who know her whereabouts.
Socially, the bride must conspire with them and abide by the plot instructions, otherwise she would be considered a bad girl.
Then the groom and his friends would have to embark on searching the whole area, house-by-house, looking for her until they find her.
And even then, the mission is yet to be over, they would have to fight the bride female friends until they free her completely and bring her back to the groom. Sometimes she manages to stay for several days in her hideout.
In some areas, failing to get her would mean that the groom has failed to live up to his responsibilities and consequently lose his bride.
Lastly, we have an interesting tradition that relates to the end of marriage rather than its beginning.
In the case of divorce, the man is obliged socially and religiously, to send a significant amount of money along with the divorce letter to the woman's family. No matter how angry the husband is about the divorce and even if the woman was the one who asked for it or her misconduct was beyond it, all of that doesn't change anything.
The man still has to pay at both the start and the finish of marriage.
That is all for now and I am curious to know as how you would react to those Mauritanian traditions.
Now it is the time for my homework.
Here is a try,
1-This horrible crime suicide has become an almost "normal" act in the "civilized" world
2-you can drive your car and do many different activities.
Would finish fit better here?
3-Today's discussion aims to argue that during human progress, we only gain a benefit by losing another.
Thank you again and again Nuala.
Await for my new mistakes.
I never expect to need four corrections in one sentence.But i am more hapy with my mistakes. Without which, i wouldn't learn more.
Thank you all for you reading and for your comments I will replay soon.
All best
Cheikh Vall
Comments
Hi Cheikh, like you wrote about saharan wedding traditions, there are probably many other traditions across the world which are quite interesting to know. Here i'm going to tell you about a northern indian tradition which may sound bizarr as it predicts just after few hours of the wedding about who in the newly wed will dominate the other. For the basic information the girls in northern Indian always leave her parental home in to live with her husband either in his parental home or as a couple alone. After the wedding the couple comes to Bridegroom's house. Minutes after their first joint enterance in the house the ladies who are present there organize a ceremony for the newly wed. In this ceremony which is like a competition in some way, the ladies place a very big bowl half full with milky water (so as not to detect something lying in the water) in front of the newly wed. The ladies request the couple to close their eyes and during this the ladies put a small coin noislessly into the water. They further ask the couple to stir the water with all their hands and to catch out whatever they grasp. Of course only one of them would find the coin (sometimes one's hands struggle with the other's...) and show it to the everybody present there. So this procedure repeats for some rounds. And finally who scores the most, wins too. Everybody is convinced then the the winner will be the dominating body in affairs concerning both... and as far as i know that comes out true in many of cases. Isn't amazing about predicting someone who fully unknown regarding his or her characteristics and helping out someone psychologically by winning the contest to become dominant though he or she hasn't had the intentions to do that...few minutes ago...
realy Iam very intrested in your country traditions while they are strange to my country tradition .Iam intresting in kidnapping the brid
Hi Cheikh Vall, thanks for posting a interesting social traditions prevailing in your country and wearing of your national dress Mulaffah by women. It seems that Mulaffah differs by some extent than Indian sari. In Sari, women are able to exhibit her sexuality, beauty and curved body. All it depends on her what kind of look she wish to expose. I treat Sari a sexy dress. Most women in North India wear it on festive occasions only. Based on photo, I conclude, it is not a case with Mulaffah. Here too, in past (in helmets) on marriage day, generally happy mood was not expected from bride but time changing fast and one can now see bride laughing on her marriage party. Seven nights marriage party? It thrilled me. I hope it would be expensive affairs for poor citizens. Hiding and searching of bride seems interesting. Have a nice day, Thank you.
Hi Cheikh, I liked the social obligation of men to have divorce. It is a good custom. By this way, divorce cases may be brought to minimum. I think,it might be protecting women rights and empower and helps her by minimising her dependability on others. It also surprised it that divorce can be given just by writting a letter with money. How divorce money is decided. Is it pre-decided on marriage or lator on. In court or mutually by family members or town representatives.
Hi Cheikh! Your story was brilliant. Reason or an other the civilization has created the more unordinary ways to continue generations. Wow! Wait for next exciting story.
Hi Cheikh. It's very strange traditional wedding in your country but I think it's very interesting because the groom at least must know how to protect his wife, how to find his wife and show his ability. I wonder if someone always takes the bride far away and what will happen if this incident occurs from time to time? and they will never get married? . In some countries, the night at the wedding is very important for both because the baby will soon be born after that night (maybe 9 months and 10 days LOL). In my country after the wedding they usually go somewhere for their honeymoon .
Hi Cheikh, It's wonderful to meet you here and I must say that your motherland is one of the counties, which is steeped in riveting and capturing traditions. I haven't written any comments on your blog but I have always made sure myself of reading your intriguing entries. They all are truly spellbinding and engrossing. I am as pleased as punch that I can do a virtual but so vivid travel of your country's traditions, customs and daily life with your sincere guide. Thanks gratefully and keep up the good work!
Hi Cheikh, thanks for the posting. I have found similarity with the Indian sub continental traditions. Sari is not only worn by the Indians, it is also a national dress for the woman here in Bangladesh. Wearing sari is also common in Pakistan, Nepal, Srilanka and in Maldives. I dis agree with sunshine about his flat comment on sari that its a sexy dress. well, it depends on how the person who wears sari, actually wants to present herself. Sari is a piece of cloth with what you can veil yourself from head to toe, if you wish. If this happens, I wonder, how that woman would create sex appeal to shunshine! Anyway, I tell gain, it depends on the individual, how she wish to present herself. Sex is a magic word most middle eastern people love to bring in to almost every event! Once again I thank Cheikh for his story.
I feel so surprised that the groom need to find his bride in many places.I think it is a hard work for every groom.God bless them.
Hi Cheikh,I feel so surprised about the traditional wedding in your country.I think it is a hard work for each groom to seek his bride.In HongKong,groom only drive a new car and prepare some money to bride's sisters.Then they will hold a wedding party in the evening.That all.That is easy for people.Thanks your share.
Thanks for all your contributions. This blog has now closed and can no longer accept new comments.
