Arab wedding

The marriage process usually starts with meetings between the couple's families and ends with the consummation of the betrothed (ليلات آل-دخل leilat al-dokhla).

While this is the case in most other societies named above, there are further factors that add to the comfort and assurance of the couple in the Arab nations of West Asia and North Africa: the tradition of consanguineous marriage.

[11] Whereas perceived beauty is considered a factor, much more importance is given to traditional virtues like modesty, respectable behavior, calm temperament, homeliness, and simplicity.

Traditionally, the process of investigation takes into consideration the bride's physical beauty, her behavior, her cleanliness, her education, and finally her qualities as a housewife.

[12] In carrying out this traditional investigation, parents also take the behavior of the prospective bride's family into account.

Tulba or Tolbe (Arabic: طلبة) is essentially a formal request of hand.The event is more private, limited to the relatives of the bride and groom.

Or called خطوبة 'khutubah' in Egypt and the Levant) in the Arab world usually take place during a simpler wedding party or a dinner for the families.

Male family members on the groom side also make sure to resolve any last-minute issues before the wedding.

In modern times, particularly for those not living in Palestine, the henna night remains traditional in customs but is very similar to a bachelorette party; the bride's female friends and relatives join her in celebrating, which includes food, drinks, and dancing.

In some village customs, the groom's face is shaven by a close family member or friend in preparation for his wedding.

The groom will wear the usual traditional Arab men's thobe and hata (head covering).

The henna wedding tradition has remained popular with Jewish descendants of predominantly Muslim countries.

[14][15]In some areas (e.g., Palestine), the male friends and relatives also celebrate an evening party (sahra in Arabic) in the garden or on the street in front of the groom's house.

Women are not allowed and may view the program via video projection inside the house or the closed-off garden.

Next, the couple opens the buffet for the guests, which is usually a wide variety of salads, meats, stews, sweets, fruits, and other Arab cuisine dishes.

In some weddings, there may be more entertainment, including a DJ, dancing, and sometimes a singer or band, which continues until very late in the night.

At the end of the party, women cover their shoulders, and male family members may enter the hall.

For instance, an Iraqi man from Hawija, Iraq, lost control of his weapon and ended up shooting and killing his own son at his wedding in June 2020.

This is not the case with rural areas, or, for example, most parts of Saudi Arabia, where they still do the original traditional Arab Islamic wedding style.

In rural areas of countries like Egypt, after the zaffa, the wedding ceremony will usually take place in a big clearing, where a huge Arabic tent called a sewan (صوان) has been set up.

The customary food is fattah, pieces of lamb meat embedded in rice and bread dipped in stew.

Then the imam tells the groom to heed the speech that was just given, and the father (or eldest male of the bride's family) accepts the proposal.

Two witnesses, usually the eldest men in each family, sign their names to the marriage contract, and the couple is now officially married.

In the Levant, this event is usually held in the house of either the bride or the groom's family, or sometimes in the wedding hall itself, in a mosque, or in court if the couple decides to do so.