Wedding traditions of North Africa
Seven-day weddings, the henna night, the amariya chair, Imilchil and the Berber bride. 25 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
🇩🇿 Algeria 6🇪🇬 Egypt 24🇱🇾 Libya 2🇲🇷 Mauritania 3🇲🇦 Morocco 8🇸🇩 Sudan 6🇹🇳 Tunisia 2🇪🇭 Western Sahara 0
Cities and towns
On the calendar
🇩🇿 Algiers, AlgeriaKarakou
A fitted velvet jacket from Algiers, embroidered with gold and silver thread for weddings.Attire · The ceremony
🇸🇩 SudanJirtigالجَرْتِقْ
A Sudanese rite where the groom is symbolically crowned as king before the wedding procession.Rite · The weeks before
🇲🇦 Morocco and 1 moreBerberisca dresskeswa-el-kbira (الكسوة الكبيرة)
The gold-embroidered wedding gown of Moroccan Jews, rooted in Spanish royal style.Attire · The weeks before
🇲🇦 Tangier, MoroccoNegafanggafa (Tamazight); ziyyāna (Arabic)
The traditional Moroccan bridal dresser who manages the bride's appearance and wedding rituals.Attire · The weeks before
🇲🇦 MoroccoTakchitaⵜⴽⵛⵉⵟⴰ (Berber) / تَكْشِيْطَة (Arabic)
A two-layered Moroccan wedding dress adorned with embroidery and traditional closures.Attire · The ceremony
🇹🇳 Tunis, TunisiaTunisian jebbaجبة
A loose traditional tunic worn by Tunisian men and women for weddings and festivals.Attire · Procession and arrival
🇩🇿 Tlemcen, AlgeriaChedda of Tlemcenشدة تلمسانية (Shadda Tlimsānī)
The velvet and gold kaftan worn by brides in Tlemcen, Algeria, for their wedding ceremony.Attire · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Takchita: Gerard Levy, France (Beth Hatefutsoth Photo Archive, courtesy of Gerar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tunisian jebba: Touzrimounir, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Karakou: Bachounda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Negafa: Amine.elbahij, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jirtig: Alzain Mohammed, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chedda of Tlemcen: Dezedien, CC BY-SA 4.0, source