We dressed in our nicer attire (J3 did the best they could preparing in Athens) and were off to Mama's for the first of two nights of wedding celebration- Henna Night. Henna is dye from a plant that is painted on the skin with a large syringe with a hole in the end (no needle) in a mud-like form, in different designs which refer to a certain tribe's ancestry (at weddings, these designs are from the groom's tribe). The henna is placed on the bride's feet and hands, front & back, top & bottom on this, the night before the wedding.
So, picture if you will, the entire family of Adil(50-60 people) and the US contingent (all 6 of us) lounging around the Grand Salon, greeting each other with handshakes and one kiss on each cheek, and dancing and clapping along to the music, while waiting for the bride to arrive. The entertainment for the night was Shikhats, traditional "party ladies" who sing songs and dance for the entire night (around 6 hours) with very few breaks. The band that plays with them consists of traditional drums/bongos, violin, and other percussionary things- and they sing as well. The family joins in whenever they get the urge to get up and shake something- and this happens often, all night long. If you're not dancing, you're probably clapping along to the music. After about one hour, our hands were like jelly, since they're not used to this sort of punishment!
The bride's henna was due to start at around 8pm, but by 10pm, we knew we should have had a snack earlier, because dinner was nowhere in sight. After hours of hair and make-up work (not that lovely Kate needed it, of course), and being dressed by her "people", Kate arrived at 10.30pm in a white traditional Maroccan robe w/ elaborate designs on it. In addition, she wore a solid gold belt, tiara, earrings, collar, and two pins on the shoulders which dangled baubles & more gold. As she approached and sat in her small throne, the music, singing, and clapping got louder and louder to announce her arrival. And of course, the ladies upped the volume on their shrilled tongued calls. She was seated at the throne, and the night could officially begin. While Kate endured 2-1/2 hours of henna-ing, the rest of us lounged around and enjoyed cookies, pastries, and mint tea, while dancing & clapping in between bites/sips.
Dinner was served around 12.30am, while Kate was still sitting on the throne letting her henna dry. You see, it's mud that basically stains the skin, so it has to soak in and you know it's done when it's dry. We had a sneaky suspicion that Kate was a bit famished by this point. But hey, tradition is tradition. Adil did his best to feed her some bites of the delicious chicken, then lamb, when possible. What a wonderful meal, topped off by the standard mound of fresh fruits for dessert.
When the henna was dry, they ceremoniously cleaned her feet with a gold bracelet and water from a specific pitcher & bowl, which has meaning to the family. Kate was then paraded out of the room- to the same intense singing, dancing and clapping as before- to wash her hands and take off the robe & jewels, leaving the silk dress that is underneath. Then she actually ate some! And trust me, no one got near that plate but Kate!
The night ended with much more dancing & singing, and Chris and JJ got some henna of their own. After drying, the henna used tonight ends up orange, but other colors are common as well. We left the house at around 4.30am, leaving Phil there to ponder his various marriage proposals from several family members. Phil is a journalist in the US. In Morocco, a journalist is as prominent and respected as a judge. So it's no surprise the ladies of the family were eager to offer him her dowery which consisted of houses, farms, and several types of farm animal. There were still at least 25 people there talking and eating, with no sign of sleeping any time soon. And this is night one- the big night is tomorrow....or....today?!?
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