You may ask why am I writing an article about Egyptian weddings. You may think that an Egyptian wedding is like any other wedding, but I can assure you that an Egyptian wedding is a very special historical ceremony. It is the most important ceremony for Egyptian females. I am sure that there are certain rituals for marriage in many parts of the world but the Egyptian wedding ceremony has been carried on from generation to generation since the times of the Pharaohs. While there are many western aspects, the enthusiasm and grand festive atmosphere of an Egyptian wedding is simply amazing.
The ancient Egyptians were the first civilization to regard marriage as a legal relationship. Marriage in ancient Egypt was a religious imposition. The ancient Egyptian laws organized the marriage relationship and indicated all rights and duties for the couples. Many of the old marriage contracts have been found, and they were registered and signed by three officers. The ancient Egyptian laws gave the right of divorce to women as well as men, and the wife had great respect and a high degree of prestige.
Before marriage in ancient Egypt, there were many chances for men and women to meet in places such as the temples or at the common feasts. There was a custom in the Egyptian family which allowed the adult daughter to welcome guests who came to visit her parents. Even today there remains in some parts of rural Egypt a custom that the eldest daughter is to marry before the youngest. The ancient Egyptians had an engagement period in order for the couple to become familiar with each other. The groom-to-be and his parents would go to the bride’s house and meet the head of the family. They would negotiate an agreement where the groom would pay a dowry and buy the bride a gift of precious stones or gold. On the day of the wedding there would be a great banquet where all the guests would eat, sing and dance. Then the bride and groom would be led to their home and on the way, green wheat would be tossed in the air as a symbol of fertility.
While time has altered modern Egyptian weddings, many of the traditions remain. Christian and Islamic custom now dictates that the official wedding must take place in a church or mosque. However, the reception after the official wedding remains much the same as in ancient Egypt. Reception parties differ from place to place in Egypt but they all hold common features including singing, dancing, a banquet and a lot of guests. Most often the wealth of the family of the bride and groom dictates the number of guests invited to the reception.
Certain aspects of Egyptian weddings in urban cities are not unlike weddings anywhere in the the world. The bride wears an ordinary bridal dress and the groom wears a black suit or a tuxedo. The ceremony starts with a car parade. The wedding car (as prestigious as possible) will be decorated with flowers and ribbons. Cars of both families move together in a noisy parade of continuous sounding of car horns to a wedding hall most often in a hotel. The honking is to announce that there is a wedding taking place. When the bride and groom reach the hotel they are received by a “Zaffa”. The Zaffa is another human parade of belly dancers and drummers surrounding the bride and groom, singing happy songs. The bride and groom will occasionally join in the dancing but the main aim is to walk as slowly as possible to the wedding hall. Some Zaffa’s will last an hour!
When the bride and groom finally reach the their destination in the hall they sit in the “Kosha”. The Kosha usually consists of two comfortable seats in front of the guests where the bride and groom reign as though king and queen. As soon as the bride and groom are seated in the Kosha a rose sherbet drink is passed to the guests and all drink to their health. Then the bride and groom will switch rings from right index fingers to left index finger. This is probably an old Christian tradition but it is done whether the couple is Moslem or Christian. With this ritual, the festivities begin. The bride and groom have the first dance after which the other wedding guests join in. Usually a belly dancer or a singer entertains the guests but in more luxurious weddings there is more than one entertainer. Guests will dance and sing with the newly wed couple, and the groom will occasionally be tossed in the air by friends. The more the tossing of the groom the more his popular! After the formal entertainment, a disc jockey is used to extend the festivities.
Then comes the cutting of the cake. As elsewhere in the world, the bride and groom cut the cake, which is several layers high. The bride then tosses her flower bouquet behind her back to other hopeful females. Who ever catches the bouquet is lucky because she will be next to marry. Next, the couple opens the buffet for the guests, which is usually a wide variety of salads, meats, stews, and sweets. Actually the list might go on forever in some weddings. Food is considered one of the factors that reflect the wealth of the families of the bride and groom. After every guest has “stuffed” his or her stomach, the wedding party is over. In some weddings there may be some more entertainment. Then the bride and groom usually get a complimentary night or two at the hotel.
Modern urban weddings are obviously affected by western traditions. For example, the cutting of the cake and tossing of the bouquet. This is not the case with rural areas of Egypt. In rural areas, after the Zaffa, the wedding ceremony will usually take place in a big clearing of land where a huge Arabic tent called the “Sewan” is set up. Entertainment includes a belly dancer or singer and sometimes both. Drinks are passed to guests and food comes in huge plates to be served to guests. The customary food is “Fattah” which is pieces of lamb meat embedded in rice and bread dipped in stew. The bride and groom will leave the wedding early but the guests continue the festivities.
Whether rural or urban, weddings reflect the image of the families that have come together. Both families show off their wealth to their wedding guests. From this, it would be concluded that Egyptian weddings are not just an announcement of marriage but also an announcement of the economic positions of the families..
If you visit Egypt keep an eye out for weddings. In many seasons, there will be weddings almost every night in hotels such as the Nile Hilton. Do not hesitate to ask permission to join the wedding. I guarantee you that you will be welcomed. Sing, dance and enjoy the culture of Egypt.
Posts: 315 | From: Deep Earth | Registered: Feb 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Glider: The Egyptian Wedding By Dr. Maged El-Bialy
You may ask why am I writing an article about Egyptian weddings. You may think that an Egyptian wedding is like any other wedding, but I can assure you that an Egyptian wedding is a very special historical ceremony. It is the most important ceremony for Egyptian females. I am sure that there are certain rituals for marriage in many parts of the world but the Egyptian wedding ceremony has been carried on from generation to generation since the times of the Pharaohs. While there are many western aspects, the enthusiasm and grand festive atmosphere of an Egyptian wedding is simply amazing.
The ancient Egyptians were the first civilization to regard marriage as a legal relationship. Marriage in ancient Egypt was a religious imposition. The ancient Egyptian laws organized the marriage relationship and indicated all rights and duties for the couples. Many of the old marriage contracts have been found, and they were registered and signed by three officers. The ancient Egyptian laws gave the right of divorce to women as well as men, and the wife had great respect and a high degree of prestige.
Before marriage in ancient Egypt, there were many chances for men and women to meet in places such as the temples or at the common feasts. There was a custom in the Egyptian family which allowed the adult daughter to welcome guests who came to visit her parents. Even today there remains in some parts of rural Egypt a custom that the eldest daughter is to marry before the youngest. The ancient Egyptians had an engagement period in order for the couple to become familiar with each other. The groom-to-be and his parents would go to the bride’s house and meet the head of the family. They would negotiate an agreement where the groom would pay a dowry and buy the bride a gift of precious stones or gold. On the day of the wedding there would be a great banquet where all the guests would eat, sing and dance. Then the bride and groom would be led to their home and on the way, green wheat would be tossed in the air as a symbol of fertility.
While time has altered modern Egyptian weddings, many of the traditions remain. Christian and Islamic custom now dictates that the official wedding must take place in a church or mosque. However, the reception after the official wedding remains much the same as in ancient Egypt. Reception parties differ from place to place in Egypt but they all hold common features including singing, dancing, a banquet and a lot of guests. Most often the wealth of the family of the bride and groom dictates the number of guests invited to the reception.
Certain aspects of Egyptian weddings in urban cities are not unlike weddings anywhere in the the world. The bride wears an ordinary bridal dress and the groom wears a black suit or a tuxedo. The ceremony starts with a car parade. The wedding car (as prestigious as possible) will be decorated with flowers and ribbons. Cars of both families move together in a noisy parade of continuous sounding of car horns to a wedding hall most often in a hotel. The honking is to announce that there is a wedding taking place. When the bride and groom reach the hotel they are received by a “Zaffa”. The Zaffa is another human parade of belly dancers and drummers surrounding the bride and groom, singing happy songs. The bride and groom will occasionally join in the dancing but the main aim is to walk as slowly as possible to the wedding hall. Some Zaffa’s will last an hour!
When the bride and groom finally reach the their destination in the hall they sit in the “Kosha”. The Kosha usually consists of two comfortable seats in front of the guests where the bride and groom reign as though king and queen. As soon as the bride and groom are seated in the Kosha a rose sherbet drink is passed to the guests and all drink to their health. Then the bride and groom will switch rings from right index fingers to left index finger. This is probably an old Christian tradition but it is done whether the couple is Moslem or Christian. With this ritual, the festivities begin. The bride and groom have the first dance after which the other wedding guests join in. Usually a belly dancer or a singer entertains the guests but in more luxurious weddings there is more than one entertainer. Guests will dance and sing with the newly wed couple, and the groom will occasionally be tossed in the air by friends. The more the tossing of the groom the more his popular! After the formal entertainment, a disc jockey is used to extend the festivities.
Then comes the cutting of the cake. As elsewhere in the world, the bride and groom cut the cake, which is several layers high. The bride then tosses her flower bouquet behind her back to other hopeful females. Who ever catches the bouquet is lucky because she will be next to marry. Next, the couple opens the buffet for the guests, which is usually a wide variety of salads, meats, stews, and sweets. Actually the list might go on forever in some weddings. Food is considered one of the factors that reflect the wealth of the families of the bride and groom. After every guest has “stuffed” his or her stomach, the wedding party is over. In some weddings there may be some more entertainment. Then the bride and groom usually get a complimentary night or two at the hotel.
Modern urban weddings are obviously affected by western traditions. For example, the cutting of the cake and tossing of the bouquet. This is not the case with rural areas of Egypt. In rural areas, after the Zaffa, the wedding ceremony will usually take place in a big clearing of land where a huge Arabic tent called the “Sewan” is set up. Entertainment includes a belly dancer or singer and sometimes both. Drinks are passed to guests and food comes in huge plates to be served to guests. The customary food is “Fattah” which is pieces of lamb meat embedded in rice and bread dipped in stew. The bride and groom will leave the wedding early but the guests continue the festivities.
Whether rural or urban, weddings reflect the image of the families that have come together. Both families show off their wealth to their wedding guests. From this, it would be concluded that Egyptian weddings are not just an announcement of marriage but also an announcement of the economic positions of the families..
If you visit Egypt keep an eye out for weddings. In many seasons, there will be weddings almost every night in hotels such as the Nile Hilton. Do not hesitate to ask permission to join the wedding. I guarantee you that you will be welcomed. Sing, dance and enjoy the culture of Egypt.
And not once does this article provide anything showing how ancient Egyptian wedding ceremonies are similar to modern ceremonies. Throwing a party, having food, cakes, singing and dancing is a universal trait found all over the world. So what constitutes the distinct and original ancient Egyptian wedding practices, versus the wedding practices of other populations world wide? What evidence does ANYONE have of ancient Egyptian wedding ceremonies in the dynastic period to begin with? And considering that the article states marriages and ceremonies associated with such supposedly began in Egypt (which is a bit of a stretch to begin with), any modern wedding is bound to have elements of ancient Egyptian tradition. But again having girls get dressed up in gowns with flowers, having music and a feast under the stars and in a tent is not something STRICTLY unique to ancient Egypt.
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The ancient Egyptians held marriage as a sacred bond. The family was broken down into roles that each would play in order for things to run smoothly. The father was the one who would work all day. In smaller households the mother was in charge of all things pertaining to the house. Cooking, cleaning and watching the children were all her responsibilities. Egyptians seem to have taken mates in what most often appears to be lifelong monogamous relationships. marriage and a close family played an integral role in ancient Egypt. A bride would be young, about 14 or 15 years old. Her husband could be anywhere from 17 to 20—or older if he was divorced or a widower. The ancient Egyptians were encouraged to marry young, considering that the life span at this time was relatively short.
Many marriages were arranged with parental consent needed, as they have been in all societies, especially among the upper classes. But the abundance of love poetry between young people signifies that many couples did fall in love and choose each other as mates. Women played a large role in arranging a marriage. A suitor sometimes used a female go-between to approach the girl’s mother—not her father.
Interestingly, one of the most affectionate titles you could call your love was "brother" or "sister" in ancient Egypt. This had nothing to do with sibling relations, but led many archaeologists and scholars to wrongly assume that most ancient Egyptians married their siblings. Actually, this usually occurred only among royalty—and was not a common occurrence. Egyptology Articles
Herbs Articles
Marriage in Ancient Egypt
The Wedding Day:
The day of the marriage was really quite simple. The bride merely moved her belongings into the home of her husband. He might be living alone or with his parents.
So what did the bride wear? She probably wore a long dress or tunic made of linen, which may have been covered from head to toe with bead-net. If she owned any gold, silver or lapis, she probably adorned herself with those, too.
Even though there was no official ceremony, knowing how much the ancient Egyptians loved music, dance and food, there were bound to be family celebrations in honor of the uniting couple.
Museums are filled with statues and paintings showing husbands and wives with their arms around each other’s waists, holding hands or offering each other flowers or food. Love and affection was indeed a part of the Egyptian marriage, and our Egyptian bride could expect to be loved and respected by her husband.
Entering into a marriage was described as 'making a wife' or 'taking a wife', but it seems that the girl's father had the main say. If the girl had no father, an uncle would step in. In the absence of any preexisting agreement it seems that the girl's consent to a marriage was unimportant until the 26th dynasty, when brides also began to have a say.
The Marriage Contract
Most marriages had a contract drawn up between the parties. The poorer classes probably did not do this because they probably had few possessions to consider and also the cost of a scribe would have been costly. Marriage settlements were drawn up between a woman’s father and her prospective husband, although many times the woman herself was part of the contract. The sole purpose of the contract was to establish the rights of both parties to maintenance and possessions during the marriage and after divorce if it should occur.
A standard marriage contract that had been found among the numerous records left by the ancient Egyptians. It contained:
The date (the year of the reign of the ruling monarch)
The contractors (future husband and wife)
The names of both sets of parents
Husband’s profession (wife’s rarely mentioned)
The scribe who drew up the contract
The names of the witnesses
The finished document was given to a third party for safekeeping or kept among the records of the local temple.
A man could marry as soon as he was physically mature and had reached a point in his chosen career that ensured his ability to provide for his wife and for the children they could expect. Most Egyptians were content to have only one wife. Marriage was an expensive matter for the man, and the whole contract system provided such far-reaching safeguards for the material rights of wives and children that most men could only afford one wife at a time.
Marriages were most often between people of the same social class, but there seems to have been little regard given to race or even nationality. It was not unusual for a northern Egyptian to marry a Nubian, or someone even from another country.
Marriage contracts do not generally tell the age of the parties, but we know from other documents that marriage almost always occurred after sexual adulthood. The average age for girls to enter puberty was 12 to 13, and around 14 for boys. Indeed boys, who had to achieve some work abilities in order to support a wife and future children, were usually 15 or over before contemplating marriage. If the marriage ended in divorce, the rights of the wife were equally protected. Generally, she was entitled to support from her husband, especially if she was rejected by him through no fault of her own. The amount might equal one third of the settlement or even more. If the bride ended up committing adultery (which was extremely frowned upon for both men and women), she still had certain rights to maintenance from her former husband. Monogamy, except for some of the higher classes and royalty, seemed to be the rule for most ancient Egyptian couples.
Particularly during the early periods of ancient Egypt, the future husband made a payment to the bride's father, usually amounting to about the cost of a slave. Later, this practice was abandoned and later the practice was reversed where often the father of the bride had to compensate the future husband for her upkeep. However, if divorce occurred, the husband was obligated to continue some support to his ex-wife, usually amounting to about one third of his earnings.
Marriages between kin were familiar among the common folk. Step-brothers and sisters married, as did uncles and nieces quite frequently, and cousins still more so. Between very close blood-relations, however, it was wholly exceptional among ordinary people.
The tradition of brother/sister or father/daughter marriages was mostly confined to the royalty of Egypt In tales from Egyptian mythology, gods marriage between brothers and sisters and fathers and daughters were common from the earliest periods, and so Egyptian kings may have felt that it was a royal thing to do. However, there are also theories that brother/sister marriages may also have strengthened the king's claim to rule.
Divorce was as easily initiated as marriage. Divorce could be brought about by either party; it was a private matter and the government took no interest in it.
The most common reasons for a husband to divorce his wife included the inability to bear children, especially a son; the desire to marry someone else or that she simply stopped pleasing him. A woman could divorce her husband for mental or physical cruelty or adultery. In some cases, if the woman chose to divorce, she forfeited her right to communal property.
Once divorced, both men and women could remarry as soon as they wished. And from the archives we have found, it seems that they readily did. It’s also apparent that our ancient bride, with the ease of marriage and divorce and the financial protection she generally received, had a better time of it than some brides in modern times.
All of this said, there are many indications that husbands and wives in ancient Egypt were often happy and in love. There are many touching portraits and statues of families including spouses and their children that reveal marital delight and warmth within the family.
You may freely reprint this article or place it on your website by adding this statement: Courtesy of www.kingtutshop.comPosts: 315 | From: Deep Earth | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
And again, singing, dancing, having food, music and fun associated with a wedding are not something unique to ancient Egypt. Likewise, men and women living together for purposes of child rearing and survival is not unique to ancient Egypt either. Please explain what parts of this associated with weddings and marriage can be said to be UNIQUE to ancient Egypt and not found historically anywhere else.
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posted
The Egyptian wedding certainly shows how invaders and settlers often embrace the customs of the conquered territories especially if they are more advanced technologically and culturally--as the European barbarians did when they conquered Rome and the Greeks and Romans did when they conquered Egypt.
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posted
Still, I am waiting to see someone provide elements that are part of the "unique" tradition of Egyptian weddings in the dynastic period. Whether it be jumping the broom, throwing rabbits or drinking cactus wine something that is truly DIFFERENT. Singing, dancing, clapping hands, having a feast and all sorts of merry making are not unique to ancient Egypt and the ancient Egyptians practiced such things on MANY occasions. So what IS the evidence for wedding ceremonies in dynastic Egypt?
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posted
^ I too am curious about what wedding customs or marriage traditions are unique to the Egyptians.
And I notice the source about ancient Egyptian marriage especially in regards to age of partners and bethroyal or engagement are the same almost word for word for several other sources I've read about the subject. How much of this is true? For example, why is there such an age difference between genders in terms of marriage. I know females in many ancient societies are encouraged to marry early so they can get a head start in reproduction because the mortality rate was so high, but why do the males start at 17? Also, considering the amount of freedom and privilige that females in ancient Egyptian society had, I am surprised that the source says they had no consent of their own when it comes to marriage which seems to parallel the strict patriarchal cultures of their Asiatic neighbors.
Posts: 26239 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I have been to a few Egyptian weddings in Egypt very beautiful and very universal as well meaning no different than your western weddings. If u want something similar to the ancient egyptian weddings u need to check saeedi egyptians nubians and Beja wedding very ancient and beautiful. Beja wedding is probably the most identical to the ancient egyptians Beja men call there wife there sister the women are adorn with crown on there heads which resembles a golden small throne on there heads. Beja women play the music the harp in Beja language its called Monsiqo i will show u pictures of a Beja wedding that i went to a Nubian wedding and a Saeedi wedding in Southern Egypt very interesting and fun as well no one parties like Saeedi,Beja,& Nubians
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I'm trying to figure out why some of these post are obsessed to hear about a cermony. Why are they obsessed about this? Their gods of marriage was:
Isis Hathor and Net
Net is the goddest of Canals and I wonder about the marriage at Cana is a pun. Cana in Hebrew is called the Nest close to Net here again.
Posts: 15 | From: Michigan | Registered: Dec 2009
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posted
^ It's not that were "obsessed" about ceremony, it's just that the ancient Egyptian traditions have many ceremonies for so many events except marriage. Yet in many cultures marriage was one of the few events that actually calls for a ceremony of some sort.
Also, I don't think the Hebrew word has anything to do with the English word 'canal'.
Oh, and another thing I forgot to add to my last post is the contradictions in what the sources say. For example, one source says the bride moves into her husbands house indicating that Egyptians were patrilocal when in other sources it says the opposite and that the house and land were passed from mother to daughters indicating matrilocality. One source glider posted says consent to marry the bride must be given by the brides mother while another states it is the father or uncle of the bride. Judging by these differing statements, it seems not even Egyptologists have come to a consensus as to what entails the engagement and marriage union. Either that, or there was some sort of region variation where certain customs are followed in one part of Egypt whilte others are followed in another part(?)
Posts: 26239 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Beja-Tiffa: I have been to a few Egyptian weddings in Egypt very beautiful and very universal as well meaning no different than your western weddings. If u want something similar to the ancient egyptian weddings u need to check saeedi egyptians nubians and Beja wedding very ancient and beautiful. Beja wedding is probably the most identical to the ancient egyptians Beja men call there wife there sister the women are adorn with crown on there heads which resembles a golden small throne on there heads. Beja women play the music the harp in Beja language its called Monsiqo i will show u pictures of a Beja wedding that i went to a Nubian wedding and a Saeedi wedding in Southern Egypt very interesting and fun as well no one parties like Saeedi,Beja,& Nubians
Makes sense that Saaidis, Nubians, and Beja are the closest.. please post info...
DJ-Where have you been???
Posts: 8804 | From: The fear of his majesty had entered their hearts, they were powerless | Registered: Nov 2007
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^ Ever since the winter holidays I've been working and preparing for grad school, other than that just chillin'.
Posts: 26239 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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