Sarah's Wedding

Sarah (in purple), her mom Wendy, and other PCVs on the afternoon of the henna ceremony.

This weekend was my friend Sarah's wedding. Sarah is a Peace Corps Volunteer in a tiny village about 3.5 hours southeast of mine. She married a local man, the brother of one of the weavers she worked with. It was a 100% traditional Amazigh wedding, which was lots of fun, even if I didn't understand the reason behind the traditions. Her family and a few friends came in from the U.S. to help her celebrate. While they got a bit overwhelmed by the many strange sights, sounds, and smells, they did a great job participating in the festivities. With Sarah's family and friends in attendence, along with the 12 Peace Corps Volunteers that came, there was a lot more English spoken at this wedding than at most weddings I attended.

The first day of the wedding was the henna ceremony. Sarah was dressed in a sparkly white dress, then veiled with a dark blue cloth to cover her hair with a brightly woven mesh cloth to cover her face. Henna was mixed in a large plastic bowl, then slowly applied to her hands and feet with plastic syringes. Once the designs were drawn on, black tea was applied with a wet cotton ball to help darken the henna. Her hands and feet were then covered with strips of cotton and wrapped in plastic bags to make it dry more slowly so that it will stain the skin a darker color. The whole process took a long time, as even after the henna was applied Sarah had to sit quietly as to not smear it while it dried. 

The henna from the bright orange bowl was applied to Sarah's hands and feet. As you can imagine from the intricate designs, the process of applying the henna took several hours. 

We left at about 1:00 AM Friday night, with Sarah still sitting with her hands and feet wet with henna and wrapped in plastic. When we came the next day, Sarah was getting dressed in her full bridal finery. She had a fancy white dress with gold stamps on it, a bright gold belt, and fancy gold shoes. We all went into the salon once she was dressed, where the women sang and danced. Her hair was covered with many brightly colored silk scarves, then her face was veiled with the same mesh fabric. Finally, the women gave her a headdress of bright red. Sarah said the whole headdress was very heavy and very hot to wear. After she was veiled, her hands were wrapped with yellow wool yarn. From what I understand, the wool is symbolic of her being "bound" to her husband and is good luck for a long and happy life together. 

Sarah and Brahim (her new husband)

Sarah's hands were wrapped in yellow wool to symbolize her being "bound" with her husband.

The women veiled Sarah's hair with many colorful scarves, then made a headdress of bright red wrapped around with green wool. Sarah said it was very hot and pretty heavy.

After a dinner of tajine and couscous, we all went outside for the entertainment. All of the weddings I'd attended previously had had music, but none had hired a band like Sarah and Brahim. With so many people in attendance (probably about 200), the band set up outside so that everyone could see and hear the music. The family had spread read carpets around on the road and grass and people were sitting on most every available surface. The band played traditional Amazigh and Arabic music. Unfortunately, there wasn't much dancing, as it was considered "shameful" (perhaps since we were outside.) 

Overall, it was a lot of fun at Sarah's wedding. It was great to hang out with other PCVs and to meet Sarah's friends and family from back home. Sarah and Brahim will leave for America in November, when Sarah finishes her service in the Peace Corps. I hope everything works out for them and that they have a wonderful time making their new life in America.