ATTENDING a wedding in Upper Egypt is a magnificent and impressive experience; the local population is keen to observe its traditions and customs. In the case of Nubia, preparations for a wedding gala do start a long time earlier, once a bride's family give their blessings or approval to a proposal. Before the big day, there is a Henna Night, in which the groom and bride put henna (a reddish-orange dye or cosmetic made from the leaves of this plant) on their hands and feet. The bride puts henna decorations on the back of her hands and the groom only on the palms and feet. While applying the henna they do not sit together in the house of the bride. She is accompanied by her female friends and relatives and he by relatives and male friends. When the henna goes dry, the bride enters the room where the groom is seated. His friends and relatives in white galabiyas stand in two rows and drum on dufouf (tambourines), while a singer performs Nubian songs. The bride wears the traditional dress (gergar), a transparent galabiya over a colourful one. She is covered in gold pieces from head to toe and looks like a moving box of gold. She and her groom start dancing together and are surrounded by a big circle of friends, who clap and sway in to song's rhythm. This joyful night ends at dawn. The only break is a big dinner, which all guests share. The next morning, the groom has to slaughter a calf or sheep and the meat is distributed to the poor. In the afternoon, the groom's male friends come to his house and play dufouf. They tour the whole village to invite people to the wedding. When they pass the houses while playing dufouf and singing, people come out to join the procession and ululate. This goes on until the sunset, when they return to the groom's home. On the same day, the bride and her female friends go to Aswan, where she visits a hairdresser and puts makeup on. After sunset, the groom and his relatives and friends go to Aswan in hired buses to meet the bride. She wears a white dress, all relatives and friends gather for a photo session. Back in Nubia, the wedding celebration continues. When they arrive at their marriage home, the groom offers the bride marriage shabka (the groom's traditional gift of gold jewellery to the bride). Her female relatives and friends give her wedding gifts, such as gold rings or chains. The celebration that follows is similar to that on the Henna Night and ends with another big dinner. Weaam Ahmed, one of the groom's relatives, says that visiting the groom and bride in their house does not take place on the day following the wedding party like in Cairo; they begin on the 7th day after the wedding. They go there and celebrate the event by dancing and singing. This day is just for the relatives but not friends; they will visit the newly-weds several days later.
