Marriage customs in Rabat

           

         Formerly, all marriages were arranged and some families still follow this tradition. In general, the bride brings a dowry to the groom's family to pay its share to the family of the bride a large sum will be used to purchase furniture for the bride and household needs. Wedding ceremonies, which usually take place in summer, give rise to great rejoicing. It is common for a married woman keeps her maiden name.

Dowry and the contract. - The payment of dowry was the end of the betrothal and early marriage feasts,  accompanying the contract drafting. The date is fixed by the two fathers two or three weeks in advance, because of the invitations to be done and preparations.

There would be a great lunch in the two houses with a traditional menu: chicken stuffed with almonds and briwat sheep. Two notaries were invited to the father of the young man during the meal, the host starts counting the agreed amount, and they put it in bags to take it to the girl's father home, escorted two solicitors and four or five trusted friends.

Preparations: Five days before the wedding night, the matchmakers were brought to the groom's house with everything they needed to organize the bridal chamber. This day was called "nahar tankil" (moving day) and gave rise to two parties with musicians (TABBALAT) in each of two families.
The next day called ez-nahar zina (the day of beautification) or Nahar el-Farchant (the day of mattress): preparing the matchmakers carefully everything that the girl should carry in her new home (sofas, cushions, mat, pins, nails, curtain rings, etc..) and send them. They went there themselves to organize the bridal alcove (dakhchoucha): to this end, they piled blankets on top of each other to form a wall leaving the wall between it and the width of a mattress the marriage bed, mattress and the wall of the room walls were decorated with embroidered fabrics and draperies.