What better time is there for the honoring of long-held traditions than at one’s wedding? It is a time of family, celebration, and the joining together of two families.
This momentous occasion in life is marked by many rituals that might seem strange to other cultures. Varying religious beliefs, culture, and history have produced very different sorts of traditions when it comes to a wedding.
In the Muslim nation of Libya, weddings
can be quite lavish and last up to five days. On the fourth day, called Dokhla, the bride has a party in her home before her new husband arrives to whisk her off to his home for the first time.
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The Libyan wedding ceremony is usually Islamic, as that is the country’s state religion, and is commonly officiated by an imam. The signing of the marriage contract takes place in the bride’s home, and the ceremony and festivities may take place on another day entirely.
It is the first night they will spend
as husband and wife, and on the way, a procession of their friends’ and families’ cars follow them, honking and shouting in celebration of the bride going into the groom’s house.
There is a lot of teasing, banter, and good-natured goofing around about what is about to happen behind closed doors. Once inside the groom’s house, the newlyweds are greeted by family members, who will recite prayers together from the Koran, sometimes to music.
The next day is called the sabahiya, or the “morning after”, and a large breakfast is held in honor of
the new couple. This is the day the husband and wife will leave for their honeymoon.
