Where were we? Oh yes, we were following a joyful musical Berber wedding procession down a dusty dirt road.
Kenzilisa over at http://moorhenna.wordpress.com asked if I had any pictures of henna. As you may know, in Morocco women decorate their hands with henna for special occasions. In this little procession, all the hands were clapping…
There were lots of smiling faces…
Here comes the rosewater…
Now we are in the front yard of the bride’s house. The dancing caftan is already having fun…
The bride appears…she is so striking in her white taksheeta and veil…many blessings to you and your husband…may God bless you with laughter, light, children, and strength, come what may…
And then disappears…
Later that night, after we are snug in our beds with the lights out, I hear it.
The drumming.
The real festivities are beginning…
it’s around midnight, and I half want to sleep…
but the drumming is sinking into my skin and changing my heart rythms…
I slip my contacts back in, throw on a too-plain caftan, and head off down the dark road…
The front yard is now packed with about 100 women sitting on plastic chairs…
oh I’m so self conscious…
luckily another neighbor grabs me and sits me down…
I got to see the bride in one of her many outfits that she wore that night, and the groom in his modern suit and tie…
I won’t post their pictures though, too private, they looked like they had a good connection and didn’t look too nervous…
however, I did get my wish, to see the traditional Ahwash drummers, and they really wanted their pictures taken…
This image captivates me…
Many circles linked together to create one…
Life in Marrakesh 
Oh, thank you, thank you for bringing me into your experience of this heartwarming celebration.
I was tucked into my boat w/ my beloved this weekend at beautiful Bowen Island – just oh so close to Vancouver. At the little market was a stunningly gorgeous 20-something woman selling things she had purchases while attending school in Morocco. As I fingered the soft leather, and felt the weight of the necklaces in my palm, I could once again hear the sounds of the Marrakesh medina….
One day I’ll return, and wouldn’t it be fun to take photographs with you for a day 🙂
Yesssss!!!
what beautiful pictures, masha’allah!
BEAUTIFUL!
This is a beautiful expression of marriage, and has a permanence to it that you don’t see in the often in larger weddings. The bridge was beautiful and modest and then they go off and consummate the marriage and then return. This is just the way it should be. That is great. Thank you for sharing this moment with us.
Blessings.