Marriage and Weddings in Palestine

Here we are, three weeks of Grade 11 have passed by in a heartbeat. Just yesterday, I was meandering through the sacred hills of Palestine. Oh how is it that time flies so fast?

This summer break was unbelievably joyous and exhilarating, as we visited over 200 of my Palestinian relatives, all living in the same small city of Hebron, creating unforgettable memories. Much of the city's summer break was spent in weddings, as it is the most event that occurs during the summer season so that the whole city (exaggeration) can attend, while having no school or work commitments for the majority. There are many steps in organizing a Palestinian marriage; first off, the parents of the bride and the groom play a major role in arranging the whole thing together. It is common for the mother of the groom to "look around for the appropriate girl for her son" or "his dream wife". Consequently, the mother of the bride, takes the role of introducing the couple, and then are left alone to get to know each other. If all goes well, the engagement or the "khotba" takes place in which the bride and the groom dress up and have a little party, and exchange rings,putting them on each other's right-hand ring finger. Religion does get involved later since common Islamic practices include the "reading of the fatiha" and the "katb il ktab", which finalize the marriage and creates a legal marriage contract. Additional parties for the bride take place before the wedding in celebration of her bridal and her "parting of friends and family".

Moving on, and taking a peak into the Palestine realm of weddings, everything starts from the very beginning of the morning, where the bride and her closest girls go to the salon to get her, as well as themselves, ready for the wedding (this takes all day until the time of the wedding). The same goes for the groom. Once the bride is done getting ready, she heads back home to get picked up by her groom in the decorated car; this is called the "zaffa", where the father brings down the bride from her home, while a group of drummers and singers are in the front yard chanting and the groom waiting to take her from her fathers' hand. Goodbyes are said then and a lot of tears come gushing down. Once they arrive to the wedding hall, where most of the city has already attended and waiting for the entrance of the bride and groom, all the dancing begins within the relatives and the groom. Guests will dance and sing with the newlywed couple, and the groom will sometimes be tossed in the air by friends. This continues on until the cutting of the cake takes place, which is several layers high. The dancing and partying lingers till the end of the night, in celebration of the new married couple.

This summer I personally witnessed the arranged marriage of a 15 year-old girl to a 28 year-old man. To me, it was devastating to see such a young girl sacrificing her education and teenage years for marriage. In addition, there is a 13 year gap between them, which is just not right. Then again, it is really common in Palestine, and everyone feels happy for them. I guess these are the Palestinian marriage traditions that I will have to get used to eventually.