Weddings:
Traditional Somali Weddings have various ceremonies. On a Somali wedding day, there is a dinner of traditional food of rice and meat for the men of the two families and their friends. This is when the formal Islamic wedding agreement takes place. The women have a wedding party in the evening. Nowadays, the bride usually wears a white wedding dress to her party. The other women wear DIRAC and can wear their hair loose or covered with a scarf. The groom and his family are expected to pay for these celebrations. It is a tradition in Somali culture that a new bride remains in her home for a week after her wedding. On the seventh day there is a women’s party for the bride. On this occasion the bride will wear traditional costume, GUNTIINO with beads. The guests circle the bride singing and each lays a scarf (SHAASH) on her head. This event is known as SHAASH SAAR, which basically means putting the scarf on the bride’s head. This is form of respect due to her for being married and is a symbol of her becoming a married woman. The SHAASH is of silky material and can have many patterns and colours, but is different to the scarves worn by unmarried women. Another event that takes place after seven days is that the bride’s family provide food and gifts for the groom’s family. Traditionally the food and sweets are placed inside special decorated containers called XEEDHO. These are wrapped in cloth and tied tightly. They have to be unwrapped by the groom or a man in his family. Camels: Camels, sheep and cattle are very important animals in Somalia. Traditionally the people live nomadic lives, moving with their herds. For this reason animals are often featured in Somali folktales and poetry. Henna: Henna are traditionally popular in Somalia. Henna comes from North Africa,Egypt, India and parts of the Middle East. Henna has been around for thousands of years. It comes from a plant and the ground-up leaves produce a strong dye. This is used to paint designs on women for special occasions such as weddings, Eid, parties, ‘2 get together’, leaving parties and holidays. There are many different designs and patterns. It is usually worn on the hands up to the elbows, but if you want you may have it done on your feet, neck or back. |