Omani wedding traditional

In the last article I will talk about traditional weddings in Oman. I will tell you how they are organized and What is the difference between weddings in Oman and ours (Europe)?

I will start one by one to talk about weddings in Oman. Weddings in Oman, and in the Arabian Gulf, do not compare to modern Western weddings. Here the customs and traditions are sacredly preserved, passed down from generation to generation, but most of all they respect the Qur'an and strictly follow the word in the family.

All over the world, marriage is considered to be one of the most significant events in our lives, and the holidays associated with conjugate union tend to reflect this magnitude.

Many tourists wonder, How are weddings organized in Oman?

I will tell you more about the wedding in the following article. The wedding is arranged on both sides, the weddings are done either at home or at a party room. Country weddings are done at home if there is no party nearby, now it depends on the groom's budget that he pays for the wedding hall.

In the city they are made at the party room, it varies depending on how many people you have to invite. For example, at my wedding there was a hotel room, because I had 100 guests, but depending on the budget and the date when it was free. A pleasant and spacious room. Food was provided by the hotel of our choice.

At the party room, only the room is offered, but we come with music, photographer, food and ornaments for the room, all rented separately. The bride and groom take care of everything together with the family.

Traditionally, in Oman, marriage is not just about the wedding ceremony. However, there are two general types of marriages in Oman: traditional and modern.

I will tell from the perspective of traditional weddings that are done at home and the modern one that is done at the gym.

The traditional wedding includes men and women. There are separate places. However, non-traditional ones are common in the interior of Oman, where people like to practice further. It is also much cheaper than they are not modern, because they are both in the houses of the "bride, and in those of the groom, on the part of men," are in the mosque.

Before I start talking about what happens, I would like to explain the concept of a traditional wedding. The wedding takes place in the mosque, where the actual marriage is announced, while promising to fulfill his duty to his friends and family.

Then everyone in the family goes to meet the bride to give her the ring. Sometimes this is done at the bride and groom's house, she would normally dress in the traditional dress, accessorized in gold and cover her head and face.

When the groom enters while he is cheered on by the family incorporated by the couple, he gently steps on his right leg and holds his head with his right hand and everyone has a moment of silence when he read Al Fatha, which is a short verse from the Qur'an, like a sign from which their life begins, and then the bride must be revealed by the scarf that covers her face.

This ceremony is usually short. In addition, they exchange rings and leave together for a short honeymoon. Now the wedding celebration takes place in two houses, of the bride and groom, where each of the families celebrates before the groom and his family leave the house to come and take the red-haired bride. At each of the houses, the men celebrate outside and the woman inside.

There is music, in and lots of food, even over 400 people who will visit both houses on this special day. Outside they dance with wooden sticks called asas and are regularly dressed in their dishdashas, ​​sayf (straight swords).

Inside, women away from the curious eyes of men, dance and celebrate unrestrained in their most beautiful jewelry, with their hands painted in complex mehnidi drawings specific to the region (one can easily learn where a woman comes from based on mehndi drawings on her hands) .

After three days, the actual wedding takes place. The groom's family and his guests crowd into buses and cars honking, singing clapping in a cacophony of festive noises, the men wait while the women take out the beautiful bride, blushing at the thought of going to her new home and from there the festivities continue. in what is now their home. An interesting short ceremony was held in the traditional country wedding and is also respected in the city.

Modern wedding. Before the westernization of weddings and the introduction of the white dress, women usually wore a traditional Omani dress that is heavily embroidered in red or green. She would wear her gold and, even if it is her wedding, she still wears a scarf that covers her hair and face, according to religious and cultural beliefs.

Although in modernized weddings, which are very similar to the modern contemporary concept, still only women participate in this ceremony. The groom meets his bride after the mosque at the wedding hall which has a capacity of 400-800 people. The women from both families meet, greet and dance all night.

The groom enters later that evening to exchange rings and take photos for remembrance with family and friends. But now I'm going to tell you how modern the party takes place.

As he said in the previous 2 articles, it all starts with the proposal, for which the potential groom and his family officially address his wife's father to ask permission to marry her. The time between proposal and acceptance until the final wedding is considered the period of engagement, during which there are all sorts of events and formalities, from granting mahr (a mandatory dowry paid by the groom's family to the bride), the marriage contract, known as muajjal, being signed, part with henna.

Every step of the process is a reason to celebrate, even the application of henna (a symbol of joy and jubilation) celebrated with majesty for an evening or more. Many brides have added another holiday to the list, with Western-style bridal showers, for which the bride's friends and female family members organize a fun day and night, in which they give her presents and celebrate her next day.

When it comes to the actual ceremony, called Melkah, which traditionally takes place after dusk at home, most brides now prefer to book their parties at wedding halls or elegant hotels. These rooms are elaborately decorated with an island leading to the podium (stage) where a sofa, called Kosha, sits in front of a grand background. Here are the photos of the bride and her family.

Hundreds of guests sing and dance and shout zagareeth at these festive gatherings, a high-pitched howl that Middle Eastern women usually use to congratulate the bride. And since the wedding is not an event dedicated exclusively to ladies, women reveal beautiful dresses and bloody colorful dresses. While the wedding guests are dressed just as charmingly, and the bride always shines the brightest.

The traditional Oman wedding dress includes a tunic-like top, which is very embellished with decorations and sometimes woven with gold thread, paired with equally opulent trousers worn underneath. The style and color vary by region, but all wedding outfits include a matching embellished Lahaf, a scarf that is loosely draped over the head, and all sorts of silver jewelry, including heavy necklaces, bracelets, and head and forehead ornaments. handcuff-like ankle bracelets.

A major change over the years has been the choice of wedding dress, as many Muscat brides wear traditional outfits for engagement events, but are increasingly opting for white Western-style wedding dresses.

Here I did not specify, before the wedding starts, the bride spends all day at the beauty salon. In Oman, brides have a wide range of services for them. Starting with massage, spa, manicure, pedicure, make-up and hairstyle.

The bride leaves the salon dressed and arranged for the wedding. But he arrives at the hall at 18:00, before the invitations for the photo session. While the guests arrive at the party and open the party by dancing. Then the bride enters the guest room at 21:00, says goodbye to her mother, while the bride's mother is waiting for her in the room excited.

In time, the bride arrives at the couch, and her family and the groom approach her, take souvenir pictures and send her congratulations on the new journey in founding the family. Guests are expected in the dining room to eat. While the bride has the photo shoot on her regional couch.

Towards the end of the evening, the groom, sometimes accompanied by family members, enters the party dressed in a traditional white vest, with an exchange of silver (dagger) in the center and a colored mustard (turban), which these days is usually coordinated by the color to match the colors of the bride's wedding.

The women dress in abayas and scarves and watch the groom walk down the aisle. Sometimes the bride and groom stay on stage, and family members go up after him and take pictures and other times they make a quick outing. Newer family members give them wedding cake as a gift. They cut one piece out of the cake, offer another out of the piece. Take pictures with family and guests.

She can dance with family members. At the end of the evening, the hall explodes with applause and snorting while the couple goes out and the brides have to make the bride in her new house.

A wedding is always one of the happiest moments in a couple's life, but in Oman it is not about bringing two people to start their lives again, but about bringing two families and sometimes two villages together and it binds them into one of the strongest ties ever known in a lifetime.

Another question I would like to answer: What is the difference between weddings in Oman and our weddings (Europe)? Yes, there is a difference, that at the Omani wedding no alcohol is consumed, no money is given to the newlyweds or gifts during the wedding, but it is given before the wedding or after the wedding.

The newest bouquet is thrown at both the Omani wedding and the European wedding. The Omani wedding doesn't take place until dawn like we do. It happens until 00:00 at the latest at night. Women and men do not dance together, but separately. At the Omani wedding, the bride is not naked. They do not steal the bride and do not play rolls, or the rooster and many other traditions that we have.