Country Wedding

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I didn’t sleep for very long last night (Saturday night), but I slept well, and it was worth getting up early for the cool, almost cold, air, and a walk to pick figs, and watching the butchering of the ram. The butchers, after killing the ram, poked a hole to just the layer below the skin by the ankle of the ram, stuck a hollow straw in the hole, and blew, ballooned the ram with air. This helps remove the hide. After being fascinated with guts for a while, I grabbed some things and walked to the top of the nearest hill and took some pictures. I’ll be able to sleep away the afternoon again, I’m sure.

We left Fez early yesterday, my host family and I, to arrive where we are now –at Baba’s childhood home in the countryside in the region of Tissa, north east of Fez somewhere between big mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. This part of the world is known for fancy horse-riding, but that’s not our purpose for being present, not does Baba do much horse-riding, I think. His brother by another mother is getting married, and we are helping to celebrate.

Leaving the area of Bab Boujeloud, where we live, was already plenty enjoyable for me at 6:30am, but then we continued by bus for about two hours. I browsed through my guide book for information, but only found the road we were on, and not really any town names. That made it even better. The bus made frequent stops to pick up and drop off, thus it was more of a really big taxi than a travel bus. We passed many water wheels in the stream we followed for quite a ways, though I did not see any of them turning. Maybe the water level is low.

As I wrote part of this on top of the hill I climbed, I heard donkeys protesting, horses whinnying, a lark-like bird calling nearby, sheep baa-ing and roosters going like crazy. The gnats were out, too.

We arrived wherever we are at a still fairly early hour, but late enough that the sun was intense. Papa wanted to negotiate a taxi to the house, but everyone else wanted the walk. We covered a distance of about a mile and half. Despite the heat, I am very glad we walked because we passed through olive groves and followed a stream for a while, and passed a man plowing a field on his tractor who was followed closely behind by egrets and starlings for the bugs he turn over. Baba traded some city bread for zucchini fresh from the field.

We cooled off in a room where we put our things. I was very sweaty. Eventually we moved to a tent that was even better at holding the heat –ugh. I was hot, tired, and thirsty, and consequently feeling a little cranky. Maman arranged a pillow beside her and patted it, looking at me. I laid down and she put her hand on my head, which was just enough to relieve some of my fatigue emotionally. I didn’t cry, but I had wet eyes. We were served tea, which helped, and I laid back down and slept a bit. I awoke when the heat was too much and we moved to an elevated room in the thick-walled house complex that was much cooler. We passed the afternoon here, sleeping, eating, listening, and chatting until eventually the sun went down enough and the breeze picked up to cool the world. We went outside and had henna put on our hands and sat around. Later we walked to a well and rinsed the dried henna paste and our faces. My clothes were, and still are, sweaty and dusty.

Eventually we had tea again, then danced to the music of the local band with the groom. Eventually we dressed for the party and walked about 20 yards to the house next door, where the bride’s family lives. The groom is the son of Baba’s father, and the bride the daughter of Baba’s uncle. I’m not sure what that makes them other than fairly close, which is the preferred system in this part of the world. The relation is not too close to be a problem biologically, but close enough that the families know each other well. We women filled a room that consequently became stifling and watched the bride and groom look uncomfortable. Every once in a while they smiled. We had tea and cookies, then refused a second round of hot tea because of the heat. The girl came back with four glasses of water –an astonishing small amount of glasses for the number of thirsty people. Eventually we were served two rounds of dinner, the first being chicken with peanuts, the second sheep with plums. Very tasty. This was followed by sweet, sweet, watermelon. We sat on the terrace on rugs for a while to digest, enjoying the cool night air and the music, but I couldn’t stay awake for very long.

The next day, Sunday, was the groom’s family’s turn to host. After a very late lunch at 4:30pm, we dressed for the celebration and walked to the bride’s home again, where we met the couple. The bride was being covered with a plain white cloth, fixed to her head with a read band. The cloth covered her fancy wedding clothes, hands, face, and feet. Once prepared, her husband and maid of honor held her hands and proceeded to parade from the bride’s home to the groom’s, extended by using the road rather than just walking up the hill. The musicians and the guests created ambiance with music, singing, and trilling and clapping. The weather remained amazingly wonderful, still very cool and with a good breeze. After helping one another to a customary sip of milk, the guests threw sugar on the couple, and then escorted them to their wedding bed. After many pictures, the couple was left alone while the party continued in the courtyard of the home. We had some tea on the terrace rugs, but then the wind was very cool and blew a lot of dust, so we went back upstairs for a while. Eventually, the groom left the wedding room, this time covered in the white cloth, and had a customary dot of henna on the palms of his hands and something with an egg (I couldn’t see that part), to encourage fertility. The bride wouldn’t leave the room until the next morning, when the bedding would be displayed to attest to her virginity. There was plenty of tea and cookies and music and dancing until dinner was ready. The women were served last –we ate around 2am.

We didn’t really go to bed; rather, we laid down for a while and napped about three hours until we awoke in time to walk back to the bus stop. We were too late, though, for the earliest bus at 6am, and waited two hours for the bus at 8am, returning to Fez, and home, by a quarter to eleven. I was exhausted. I immediately took a shower, complete with hammam-worthy scrubbing, and felt much, much better. A daughter-in-law prepared lunch, which allowed Maman to scrub the floor. After lunch, we slept.

It was a beautiful, beautiful weekend, if somewhat crowded. The stars where crystal clear around the clouds, and the air fresh and the views impressive. I am a country girl.

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Photos

Breaktime
We had a couple of breaks along our hot walk to the house. I was traveling with my host family and Baba's sister and her two children. I am beside Maman, beside Maryem. Dunia is beside Maryem, and Dunia's mother and brother are the other two people in the photo. Baba was photographer.

Countryside View
This kind of scenery lets me breathe better. :)

Henna
I didn't want to take a picture of just my hand, so I went for dramatic and got some hillside in the background.

Hillside Mosque
Another pretty view of the region. This was Sunday morning, in the very cool air while sitting on a hill.

Into the Courtyard
This picture is from the elevated salon where I spent a lot of time. The little girl in this photo is probably one of the most happy people that there was a party. She had henna on her hands and feet and had previously had prettily braided hair.

Dancing
Women dancing after lunch in the elevated salon. Very small movements and lots of hip wiggling.

With the Groom
A photo of the family with the groom before he met his wife on Sunday.

Bride and Groom
Before the parade. You can see her full length simple white cloth that covers everything.

Wedding Room
With the family, in the nuptial chamber.

Killing a sheep.
This is a ballooned sheep in a basin.

How to cook for large numbers
Our hostess spent most of her time in the kitchen. We ate well.

Buddies
Maryem and Dunia at tea time, around 11pm.

Birdy
A little bird that sat close enough for me to take a picture.

Comments

[Nancy]

yay
Erika! You look good in the pics. I'm glad you got to be there for a wedding. What age would you estimate for the bride and groom? Do you people think you are strange because you are unmarried? (I don't think you are strange...haha)