By allisonray94
This week, we went to the wedding of...actually, I have no idea what their names are. They are somehow related to to one of the professors in our program, though, so we landed an invitation. I don't think any of us had expectations, except that there would be a bride and a groom -- and even in that we were only half right.
The wedding took place in tents. All of the female students went into one tent, and I'm assuming the males had a similar tent somewhere else. That's right -- this wedding was separated by gender. And let me tell you, it was great. No more having to worry about modesty or some stranger hitting on you or whether your dancing looks goofy (it does). Women who usually dress conservatively wore gorgeous, sexy dresses -- not for the men but for themselves. In the past, this separation might have meant the men had more fun. Now, I think it's empowering in its own right.
I'm still not sure why the bride doesn't dance, though. Instead she sits on a veritable throne and watches women dance around her for hours. At the end of the night, the groom and his brothers made an appearance, and the bride stood up for the first time. Neither she nor the groom said anything. They were observers, not participants.
You might be wondering why I don't have pictures. We were actually warned by our professor that the men could take pictures and videos but the women shouldn't. The women's tent, I think, is a private experience reserved for those who were there.
Stray Observations of the Week:
- Bedouin mansaf is the best mansaf. And silverware is unnecessary.
- The gowns worn by women at the wedding were fabulously over-the-top; think prom meets a royal coronation.
- The guests of honor at weddings are not the bride and groom but the mothers of the bride and groom.
- Wedding small talk is uncomfortable in all cultures.