wedding is different in the north and the south. In the north
a modern white dress is worn, but with a traditional Tunisian
appearance. In the south, the bride wears a traditional red
wedding dress, called a houli, decorated with gold and precious
stones. Tunisians have preserved this traditional dress, of
which they are accustomed to since their childhood. They
prefer it to a modern dress with the belief it gives women
unparalleled beauty. In addition, it can be kept and worn on
other occasions, not reserved just for one’s own wedding but
may be worn at the wedding of others. The dress may also be
handed down to future generations.
In Libya, on a particular night the bride, in contrast to the
other women, does not wear make-up. This is the tradition for
one day only. She wears a traditional pink-striped voluminous
dress, wrapped like a Tunisian Malea, held together by a belt
around the waist and fibula on each side of the shoulders and
having a matching scarf tied up on top of her head.
Wearing a black robe, called lakhel, on the wedding day is
common for Mauritanian brides; it is a custom rooted in
Bedouin tradition and applies only to the brides as grooms
get married in white. The Black dress is richly embroidered
in gold and is of great quality. This traditional dress starts to be sewn as soon as the girl is born. Not wearing it would be an
affront to the Mauritanian tradition and customs. It is worn for aesthetic, medical and religious reasons:
1. Mauritanian women have a pale skin and white teeth, and wearing black would enhance their beauty.
2. The natural fabric used for the wedding dress is imported from neighboring countries such as Mali and is believed to
rid the skin of dark spots.
3. Mauritanians believe that the Prophet Mohammed wished for victory for those dressed in black.
Come back in April & join us for Part Two!
Links to North African wedding videos, provided by Amel:
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2014/06/algerian-wedding-201462211523577203.html
Libyan wedding henna ceremony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ela2TxCzFU (2:51-3:20)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQW8-lu7wHY (1:30-1:58)
Mauritanian wedding ceremony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0QcwzkPNoo (1:28-2:02, 2:11-2:17, 2:28-2:38, 3:56-4:04, 4:25-4:43)
Tunisian wedding:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF83L5xBelc (1:26-1:30, 2:18-2:22, 2:46-2:56, 3:23-3:48, 4:30-5:50)
AMEL TAFSOUT
Born in Algeria, Amel Tafsout (‘Hopes of Spring’ in Arabic), is one of the finest champions of North African traditional
and contemporary Maghreb Dance and has mesmerized audiences worldwide. Raised among the finest traditional dancers
and musicians in Algeria, Amel has dedicated her life not only to raising awareness about her dance culture but also to
facilitating dialogue and building cultural bridges with regard to Arab-North African women. Fluent in five languages, Amel
lectures, teaches, performs, and conducts anthropological research. She is the founder of Banat As Sahra (Germany) and The
Tafsoutettes (England) and has performed with a wide range of music orchestras from Latin Jazz to North African. Amel’s
articles relating to dance, cultural traditions, and women of the Maghreb, have been published in academic and popular
magazines. Inanna Iraqi Dance Festival in June 2018 in Estonia gave Amel an Award of acknowledgment and appreciation
for her longstanding contributions in Arabic dance and its heritage. Photo by Carrie Meyer