1st English G06 Wedding Ceremony in Algeria

1. Introduction

Marriage is a universal institution; it is defined as a union between a man and a

woman such that children born to the woman are recognized legitimate offspring of both
parents [2]. In Islam, marriage is a link between a man and a woman, by a dowry (sadaq) the
man gives to the woman who accepts to finish her life with this man and found a family with
children that she promises to educate well [1]. Marriage marks a transition from one phase of
life to another. Indeed, in many cultures it is the most important rite of passage into
adulthood. In most cases it is a happy occasion, celebrated universally by music, dance, food,
and drink. In this rapport, I will describe the major steps of ceremonial protocol in Algeria,
and then I will describe some specific elements of the wedding ceremony in some Algeria
cities.

2. Requirements for Algerian marriages:

In Algeria, people follow the Islamic marriage. The Quran stipulates many
requirements for a valid Islamic marriage. a Muslim man can marry a Hebrew, Christian or
Muslim woman. But a Muslim woman can only marry a Muslim man. A marriage is only
valid if the woman accepts to be married and is not forced by anyone. A woman cannot be
married without her father or guardians acceptance. A marriage without dowry is an invalid
marriage [1].

3. The typical Algerian wedding ceremony

the traditional old wedding ceremonies in Algeria used to be a seven day journey, but
with this generation everything is fast, they have a speed injury, even in their moments of joy,
some shorten it to three days(usually, Monday, Thirsday, for women and for man, others to
just one day! In Algeria music starts playing from two or three days before the wedding day
throughout the ceremonies

3.1.The bath day

The first day, the most important step before the wedding ceremony is the Hammam
or bath day; to leave it out can bring bad luck to the bride in her future life with her husband.
Since old times the public bath or Hammam -as called in Arabic- had a very important place
in Algerian society for the married couple. This step is the beginning of the ceremonial
festivity, which takes place on the first day, usually on a Thursday.

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1st English G06 Wedding Ceremony in Algeria

3.2.The hennet el hbeb day

The hennet El hbeb party is an important pre-wedding ceremony that takes place on
the Tuesday after the Hammam day. It is typically for the women of the family, relatives and
female friends from the brides side. The mother or other women specialist paints the hands
and feet of the bride with henna with intricate designs, usually floral and geometrical designs
that are meant to ward off evil spirits, bring good luck and increase fertility. The party enjoys
tea and cookies. In henna , women sing especially composed songs .Often, a bride is not
expected to do any housework until her henna has faded. The unused henna after the brides
drawing is finished can be used by unmarried girls to bring them luck.

3.3.The henna day:

The henna party takes place on the Wednesday after the hanet el hbeb day, according
to the Algerian wedding, a night before the wedding. On Wednesday morning, the bride sends
her tsdira also called shora to her future house (blinds, curtains, benches, sofas, carpets,
clothes, washing machine). On After noon the groom sends gifts and henna to his future
wife in cortege (cookies, special sugar, underwear, pyjamas, slippers, traditional and modern
clothes, perfume and henna and gold). The women of the grooms family sing and dance the
entire road from the grooms house until they reach the brides house. They use the henna
powder and add water and lemon juice. Then they put it in a special syringe on brides hands
and feet, and they sing especially composed songs.

3.4.Clothes and accessories:

In Algeria, the traditional dresses that women wear in wedding are different. The dress
is made by hand by professional tailors. It can be made from different kinds of fabric: silk,
linen, satin, taffeta, lace, sari, etc. The dress is always long, falling even lower than the feet.
The woman has to carry her dress at the knee level to walk with high-heeled shoes. The bride
may be helped by the dressing woman, machta , who changes her dresses several times. Every
time she changes her dress, she also changes her shoes and changes her accessories. In The
following, I describe some specific dresses and accessories of the wedding ceremony in some
Algeria cities.

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1st English G06 Wedding Ceremony in Algeria

Cheda of Telemsan with skheb Karako Asimi with skheb kabile with skheb

Kraffach Boulahya khayt errouh khelkhel mekyes boulwiza

3.5.The wedding day

the wedding ceremony, the bride wears white dress, its like a sign of "purity", The
groom wears a European suit (a French costume, because Algerian society is influenced by
French culture ). On After noon the groom sends the women of his family to bring the bride to
room ceremony. The grooms mother receives them with dates and milk and throws the
bonbons and flowers on them. The bride and the groom receive money as gift from the guests.
When the bride and the groom are sitting in their special place, the Mechta calls on the
microphone to open the gifts time called rechka. Guests then come and give money to the

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Mechta, who tells something called tbreh like: this money 1000DA is from the brides
cousin. This money is given to the bride; she can do whatever she wants with it.

4. Conclusion

The Algerian wedding ceremony is long to prepare, even if it was compressed.

Algerians have kept their traditions in spite of the modernity of their style life. The womens
roles in wedding ceremony preparations are the most important way that these traditions were
kept properly. The woman is honored and sacred by the Islamic religion, and also by the
Arabic societies; they (women) deserve this status for the effort they make every day to keep
traditions in our lives.

5. References

[1] HAJJI J.(2008) A Moroccan wedding ceremony between tradition and modernity: The
role of women in the preparations. MA thesis in Visual Cultural Studies, Department of
Social Anthropology ,Faculty of Social Science University of Troms.

[2] Royal Anthropological Institute 1951, 110