skip to: page content | links on this page | site navigation | footer (site information)

Egyptian Weddings: A Divide Between Love and Tradition

Middle Eastern Marriage Celebrations

Figure 1: The above map shows the country of Egypt and its surrounding nations.  To the left of the nation is Libya, below is Sudan, and on the right is the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.  Above the country is the Mediterranean Sea. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/cia03/egypt_sm03.gif

 

Abstract

Egyptian Weddings are rites of passage celebrations which accept newly wed couples into adult married society. The type of wedding varies depending on whether the family is from a rural area, signifying practice of the traditional wedding, or an urban area which indicates the observance of the more modern love based wedding. Egyptian weddings reveal distinct gender roles which are a large part of Egypt 's culture. Following the celebration through the different stages, starting with separation and ending with reaggregation, it becomes evident that the celebration is dominated by the males. The bride's triviality during the wedding celebration foreshadows her role as a subservient female in Egyptian society.

Top

  Additional Image 2

Figure 2:  This woman is performing the dance Raks al Shemdan, also known as the Candelabrum dance.  This dance is a traditional part of an Egyptian wedding.  The bridal party follows the dancer whose candlelit hat "lights" the way to a happy future for the new couple. http://www.casbahdance.org/repertoire.html Figure 3:  This picture gives an idea of what Egypt looks like at night, when most weddings take place.  The great pyramids and the sphinx are illuminated and almost appear to glow in the evening atmosphere. Photo from Bayuk, Andrew http://www.guardians.net/egypt/

Introduction

Weddings are celebrations which symbolize the joining of people's lives. Family and friends attend the event, and wish the best of luck to the people who will share their futures together. However, not all backgrounds celebrate marriages the same and because of this there are special traditions and customs in each culture. In Egypt , there are two different types of marriages that are observed. The traditional Arabic wedding and the more modern love-based wedding are both forms of recognized unity for the country, although the traditional style is more common. (Mordecai 1999: 48) The dominance of the traditional Arabic marriage in Egypt is a reflection of nation's highly enforced gender roles. The variation between the minor roles of women during the wedding celebration compared to the major role of men makes the subordinate position of women clear.

Top

Context of Egypt

Egypt is a geographically diverse country located in the northern corner of Africa . Bordering the nation are Israel , Saudi Arabia , Sudan , Libya , and the Mediterranean Sea (Figure 1). Egypt is filled with historically significant landmarks such as the Nile River , the great pyramids, and the Sahara desert (Figure 3). Other deserts in Egypt are the Libyan, Nubian, and Eastern which used to protect the country from foreign attackers. ( http://www2.sptimes.com ) With all the dry and warm weather it is no surprise that Egypt has a dessert climate with hardly any rainfall. ( Environment 1994: 30) Egypt 's population must therefore depend on getting water from the flooding of the Nile , which occurs only once a year during the summertime. (http://www2.sptimes.com)

  The nation's capital is Cairo , a crowded city bustling with noise and people. Egyptians speak mainly Arabic, and 94% of the population is Muslim while the other 6% are Christian depending upon where they reside. ( http://www.nationmaster.com ) Egypt upholds a democratic governing system and because of this has successfully existed as a nation for hundreds of years. ( http://www.thepharaohs.net ) On a darker note, the city of Cairo is facing very high pollution levels which have reached above 60-90 meters squared above the World Health Organization's standards. ( Environment 1994: 30) However, this statistic has not drawn people away from the capital, because Cairo still faces a steady increase in population. ( Environment 1994: 30) In contrast to the more modern downtown night scene of the nation's capital, the country's rich history provides Cairo with several museums which draw in travelers from all over the world.

  Egypt 's citizens live in the city or the rural areas of the country. Around 58% of the population resides in the countryside, and the other 42% in urban areas. ( http://www.nationmaster.com ) The majority of Egyptians become married, and in some cases men can have up to four different wives. (Hanaa Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004) Egyptian society looks down upon dating or living with a significant other prior to a wedding. (Hanaa Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004) While almost all men join in some type of economic activity throughout their adult lives, less than half the women become involved. ( http://www.nationmaster.com ) This may be due to the fact that more women living in the rural areas invest their time in Egypt 's native occupation of agricultural labor. ( http://www.nationmaster.com )

Top

Origins of [Egyptian Weddings]

The first Egyptian weddings can be traced back to the early dynasties. Arguably, even back then matrimony was quite similar to the modern day marriages in Egypt . Ancient Egyptians developed marriage contracts on papyrus which stated payment of dowry, where the new couple would live, and the division of wealth if the couple separated. This form of written agreement parallels the present day marriage contract that Egyptians now use called the “Yekteb Ketaboh” meaning “to write the book.” which signifies the formal way of recognizing Muslim marriage. (Hanna Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004) Not all traditions such as the contract out last the years, though. One custom that has changed overtime is the duration of the wedding ceremony. In the beginning marriages were a lengthy ordeal especially for those living in the outskirts of town. ( http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com ) The groom would have to meet with the bride's father to negotiate the dowry. Although preparation for an Egyptian wedding may take months, the celebration now only lasts a few days. (http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com ) Though some aspects of the Egyptian wedding eventually have faded, several traditions from some of the very first marriages have survived to this day.

.

Top

Performance

The exact routine of a wedding in Egypt varies depending up the social class and residence of the families celebrating the marriage. In the traditional Egyptian wedding a bride and groom have an arranged marriage, but in the more modern urban wedding marriage is based upon love instead of financial status. (Mordecai 1999: 48) However, whether living in an urban or rural area certain aspects remain nonnegotiable, such as the custom that the wedding must take place in a church for Christians or mosque for Muslims. (Hanaa Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004) Attire for the wedding may also differ depending on whether the marriage takes place in a rural or urban setting. For city marriages the bride and groom wear the typical Christian white dress and tuxedo suit. (Hanaa Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004) However, in the more conservative locations outside of cities, brides wear veils and concealing dresses and grooms wear the custom robes. (Hanaa Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004)

  The night before the wedding a prenuptial party is thrown for the bride, and her body gets decorated by the celebratory dye henna (Figure 4). This dye has been used at celebrations since the ancient Egyptian times. Another common ritual for Egyptian marriages is holding the wedding ceremony on a Thursday night, which signifies the end of the Muslim week. (Mordecai 1999: 48) At the ceremony the bridegroom signs a contract with the bride's father in front of each family member to signify his acknowledgement of what the marriage entitles for him and his wife to be. (Mordecai 1999: 48)

  Following the ceremony the celebration for the newly wed couple frequently takes place at a hotel if the family lives near the city and is from a higher social class. (Hanaa Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004) When the bride and groom enter together they are received by the “Zeffa”, a singing parade of drummers and belly-dancers (Figure 3). In more conservative families, especially those living in rural areas and of the lower class, there may not be dancers involved in the Zeffa, and some may even go as far as to hold completely separate celebrations for the men and women. (Mordecai 1999: 48) After the Zeffa the bride and groom are lead to a special seat called the “Kosha,” where the two then proceed to switch their wedding rings from the right to their left hands. ( http://www.touregypt.net ) The switching of the rings represents the couple's loyalty to one another, and is a crucial part to the celebration because it has been an Egyptian wedding ritual for hundreds of years. After the customary ring exchange, the festivities began. Singing, dancing, and feasting all take place at the hotel, or in rural areas the “Sewen” which is a huge Arabic tent. ( http://www.touregypt.net ) Egyptian weddings are joyful occasions which reveal the culture's traditional beliefs on the ways to celebrate the joining of two families.

Top

Artifact

This picture shows the art of henna, a special celebratory dye which often decorates the body of the bride.  The night before the wedding there is a traditional henna party called "night of henna party."  http://www.crystalinks.com/henna.html

Top

Interpretation

Top

Prognosis for [Egyptian Weddings

In Egypt , cultural emphasis on the importance of marriage has not changed over the years. However, there has been an increase in the practice of the Christian based wedding, which most often takes place in cities. (Hanaa Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004) The rising number of Egyptian Christian weddings may be due to globalization influence, and Egypt 's growing connection to other Christian parts of the world via media and internet. Even though Christian weddings are on the rise in Egypt , the nation's number of traditional Arabic weddings which occur in most of the country have remained constant, neither increasing or decreasing. (Mordecai 1999: 48) One component of Egyptian Weddings and marriages which has seen a significant decrease is the practice of polygamy, which is rarely seen in urban Egypt today. (Hanaa Fawzy, Personal Communication, 2004) The decline in Egyptian men's marriage to multiple wives may again be due to globalization and ethnocentric opposing views on the practice of polygamy from other cultures.

Top

Conclusion

Egypt 's culture is a contrast of modern values and traditional ideals. The nation is divided into two distinct religious groups: people who follow the Islamic faith, and people who practice Christianity. In Egypt , citizens often use the Koran or Bible not only a religious article, but also as a guideline and a means to further enforce gender separation throughout the society. Egyptian weddings are an example of a celebration which reveals the gender divergence present in the nation. This rite of passage reinforces the gap between males and females roles in Egyptian society with the completion of the ceremony. The end of the wedding celebration signifies the bride succumbing to her place in the social order as a “powerless housewife,” while the groom acquires the vital task of being the “sole breadwinner.” The new titles and responsibilities for the bride and groom at the end of the wedding confirm how far the nation is from reaching sexual equality. However, the few individuals who marry for love rather than financial status plant a seed of hope in Egypt that the nation may one day achieve gender equality. Unfortunately, the majority of Egypt still observes the traditional wedding, and consequently the future is looking very bleak for Egyptian brides.

Top

Internet References Cited

Top

Peer-Reviewed References Cited

  • Barakat, Halim

    1993    The Arab World: Society, Culture, and State . University of California Press,   Berkeley , Los Angeles , London .

  • Bibars, Iman

    c 2001    Victims and Heroines : Women, Welfare and the Egyptian State . Zed, London ;   New York .

  • 1994   Cairo : Unbridled Dust. In Environment Vol. 36 Issue 2, Heldref Publications,   Washington , D.C, March.

  • Kader, Soha Abdel

    1987    Egyptian women in a changing society, 1899-1986 . Lynne Rienner Publishers,   Boulder, CO.

  • Mordecai, Carolyn

    1999 Weddings: Dating and Love Cutsoms of Cultures Worldwide . Thompson-Shore

    Inc., United States of America .

  • Turner, Victor, and Edith Turner

    1982    Religious Celebrations . In Celebration: Studies in Festivity and Ritual . Victor   Turner, ed. Pp. 201-219. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington.

Top

Contact Jim Aimers | ©2004 Miami University