Photographer Sherif Sonbol witnesses the secrets of an authentic Nubian wedding A WEEK before the set date of the wedding, the groom invites his friends to a bountiful breakfast prepared by his mother, the main dish of which is cracked buckwheat-stuffed pigeons. This ritual of consuming a sumptuous meal continues until the wedding, which the entire village is invited to. The bridegroom then sets off by boat to nearby islands or by car to further villages to direct invitations himself or else feuds could ensue between families. Upon receiving the invitations, families send supplies, vegetables and meat to the bride's house. NUBIAN weddings require special organisational skills when it comes to cooking, receiving guests and getting the bride ready for the big night. Women start to flock to the bride's house to help with the kitchen and distribute food on neighbouring houses to aid with the cooking. Gossiping and chitchatting is of course common among such a congregation of women. Amid all her weighty responsibilities, the mother of the bride steals away some moments to create henna designs on her feet. As for the bride she undergoes extensive face bleaching throughout the week prior to the wedding. An old woman shrugs as she recalls traditions of preparing the bride before relocating from old Nubia: "The bride used to wrap herself with a heavily scented cloth for a week until the body absorbed the aromatic scent completely. On the wedding night the bride's skin becomes smooth and silky." The old woman smiles as she remembers her special night... IT'S the morning of the wedding and all women are gathered in the bride's house. Taking pictures is getting more difficult now as women stand in front of stoves facing the wall. There's no place for a tripod, or a photographer for that matter. Sherif Sonbol photo: Giovanna Montalbetti Men gather in the front yard waiting for breakfast trays to arrive one by one. Because the dish was placed in a dark corner, shooting the plate of kodagrette was a mission almost impossible. One of the women gently suggests relocating the pot for better lighting. Mission accomplished. In another room, meat is being cooked and a man -- for a change -- is managing three huge pots. Pastries are prepared in a house nextdoor. Two women mash bread crumbs with meat. The houseowner calls on us in a graceful Nubian accent: "We are not like women of Egypt, here we all work." Their vernacular, as lissome as it is, is threatened with extinction. We go back to the bride's house passing by beautiful Nubian girls carrying water jars on their heads. They are giggling and chatting. Theirs is a special vernacular and could easily be misunderstood as a heated argument, when in fact they are only having a light, heart-to-heart chitchat. TO Aswan they go. Women head to the hairdresser's that is located next to a photo studio. After taking permission to accompany the bride and groom, outside the hairdresser's we find crowds in the wait. It's not a surprise since more than 10 brides are in the shop. A procession then proceeds as one bride after the other is taken to the nearby studio. Despite the fact that the studio is only 20 metres away, the procession takes about 30 minutes to cover the distance. IT'S an hour after midnight and the wedding procession arrives at the bride's house. Like their Cairene counterparts, Nubian newlyweds enter the house surrounded by ululations to cut the wedding cake. The bride and groom are then handed glasses of milk. Then the real partying starts. Modern Nubian dancing is a fusion of the contemporary and traditional. W e left the wedding party at 4am, but the Nubians were determined to dance till the wee hours of the morning.
