Wedding traditions of North Africa
Seven-day weddings, the henna night, the amariya chair, Imilchil and the Berber bride. 21 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
🇩🇿 Algeria 4🇪🇬 Egypt 20🇱🇾 Libya 2🇲🇷 Mauritania 2🇲🇦 Morocco 8🇸🇩 Sudan 4🇹🇳 Tunisia 0🇪🇭 Western Sahara 0
Cities and towns
On the calendar
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreZaffaزفّة
A lively musical procession that marks the start of wedding festivities in Arab culture.Performance · The weeks before
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreMizmarمزمار (mizmār)
A loud double reed instrument played at weddings and festivals across Egypt and the Levant.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇲🇦 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
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreWedding music
The songs and instruments that mark the arrival of the couple and set the mood for the celebration.Performance · The weeks before
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreArab weddingزفاف or فرح or عرس
A series of family-centered rites and processions that mark marriage across the Arab world.Rite · Finding a match
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreMizmarمزمار (mizmār)
A loud double reed instrument played at weddings and festivals across Egypt and the Levant.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇲🇦 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
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreWedding music
The songs and instruments that mark the arrival of the couple and set the mood for the celebration.Performance · The weeks before
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreArab weddingزفاف or فرح or عرس
A series of family-centered rites and processions that mark marriage across the Arab world.Rite · Finding a match
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Mizmar: dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Arab wedding: 13th century artist, Public domain, source