Saudi Arabia: someone else's wedding. Princess. The True Story of Veiled Life in Saudi Arabia

On the occasion of my wedding, the room in which I was prepared for the ceremony was full of fun. Surrounded by the women of my family, I could not make out a single word of what they were saying, as their simultaneous chatter merged into a continuous cheerful, cheerful rumble.

We were in the palace of Nura and Ahmed, the construction and decoration of which was completed just a few weeks before my wedding. Noora was very pleased with her new home and wanted gossip about its luxury and convenience to spread throughout Riyadh.

As for me, at that moment I hated Noura's new palace; For romantic reasons, I dreamed that Pasha and Karim's wedding would take place in Jeddah, on the seashore. However, my father insisted on a traditional marriage, and for the first time in my life I kept silent when my request was rejected.

It's been a few months since I made the decision to keep my temper in the details. I was occupied with more important problems - I was saving my strength for the decisive struggle for the liberation of the women of my country!

Noora beamed with happiness as she listened to her relatives vying with each other to praise her new home. Sarah and I quietly exchanged understanding smiles, as we had long ago come to the common conclusion that the palace was in very bad taste.

It was a gigantic marble structure. Hundreds of Filipino, Thai and Yemeni workers, led by specialists from Germany, worked in shifts around the clock for several months, but due to the fact that artists, wood carvers and art casting specialists did not coordinate their actions, the appearance and interior decoration palaces came into irresolvable contradiction with each other.

The result is an architectural monster that can arouse admiration only among those who do not understand anything about beauty. The halls of the palace, decorated with gilding, were completely hung with paintings by famous artists. Sarah and I counted 180 paintings in just one room.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders and said that the paintings were picked up by a person who was completely ignorant of painting. Carpets with images of various birds and animals lay everywhere on the floor. From the bedrooms, decorated with heavy carvings, it became hard on the soul. It was incomprehensible to me how children of the same parents could have diametrically opposed ideas about good taste.

However, I must admit that although Nura suffered, in my opinion, a fiasco in decorating her own home, she fully showed herself in another way: her park turned out to be a real masterpiece. The palace was surrounded by almost a square mile of lakes, lawns, beautifully matched flowers, shrubs and trees. Many pleasant surprises awaited the visitor in the park - sculptures, bright bird houses, merrily murmuring fountains and even a playground with various attractions.

Karim and I were to be married in the garden at nine o'clock in the evening. Nura knew that I adore yellow roses, and now several thousand of these flowers, brought from Europe, covered the water surface of the lake, on the shore of which there was a pavilion decorated with the same roses, in which I was to meet Karim.

Noora proudly declared that it was already whispered everywhere that our wedding had not been equaled in the past few years. Engagements and weddings in Saudi Arabia are not announced in advance; these events are considered a purely private matter, but rumors about the amount of money spent on this or that festival circulate everywhere, and members of the royal family go out of their way to outdo each other.

When the aunts began the dreadful procedure of removing the hair from the most intimate parts of my body, I screamed loudly that I could not understand where this barbaric custom came from.

My eldest aunt gave me a resounding slap in the face for such blasphemy. Looking straight at me, she declared that I was just a stupid girl and that a true Muslim woman is obliged to obey the precepts of the prophet Mohammed, who ordered that pubic and armpit hair be removed every forty days for reasons of hygiene.

In response, I cried out that this custom no longer makes sense; after all, we are modern Muslims and have everything we need to keep ourselves clean. We have hot water and soap, and you don't have to use sand to be clean! However, my aunts, knowing full well that I was capable of arguing ad infinitum, continued to do their job.

I had no choice but to completely shock the audience with the statement that if the prophet were alive now, he would certainly stop this stupid custom.

“We Saudis,” I shouted, “are proving that we are no smarter than a stupid mule that follows the leader of the caravan without thinking about where he might be led!” Until we can face the truth and choose our own path, we will not get rid of the oppression of old customs.

My relatives exchanged worried glances. They were always afraid of my desire for rebellion, and they felt comfortable only in the company of women like them, resigned to their oppressed position. Getting engaged to a man like Karim was an incredible stroke of luck for them, and I knew they would breathe a sigh of relief only after the wedding ceremony was over. My dress was made from the brightest red lace I could find. I felt great satisfaction that I could once again shock my family, who strongly advised me to wear something pale pink. As always, I insisted on my own, because I was sure that I was right. In the end, even my sisters had to admit that the bright red color favorably sets off my skin and eyes.

I experienced true bliss when Sarah and Noora put a dress on me and buttoned all the buttons. A slight sadness swept over me when Nura fastened Karim's gift - a necklace of rubies and diamonds - around my neck.

I involuntarily remembered my mother on the sad day of Sarah's wedding, when she fastened the wedding necklace around her neck in the same way. It was only two years ago, and it seemed to me that an eternity had passed. But then I thought that my mother was probably looking at me from some unknown distance, and my soul brightened. I could barely breathe in the tight corset, but I still bent down and took from the table a bouquet of spring flowers, made of precious stones, ordered by Sarah especially for this day. Finally, looking at the smiling sisters, I proclaimed, "I'm ready!"

It's time to start a new life. There was a roar of drums, drowning out even the sounds of an orchestra that had arrived from Egypt specifically to play at our wedding. Accompanied by Noora and Sarah, I walked out with my head held high to the guests, who had been crowding in the garden impatiently for a long time.

As is customary in Saudi Arabia, the official ceremony was held ahead of time. Karim and his relatives were in one half of the palace, I was with my relatives in the other, and the priest went from room to room and asked us if we agreed to the marriage. Neither Karim nor I were allowed to have a word with each other. The celebration had already lasted for four days and four nights, and after Karim and I appeared before the guests, three more days of fun were to come.

The current day was devoted to the union of the newlyweds on the marriage bed. It was our day with Karim! I haven't seen my fiancé since our first meeting, although there hasn't been a day that we haven't had long conversations on the phone. And finally, I saw him again.

He slowly walked towards the pavilion, accompanied by his father. Excitement seized me when I thought that this handsome man would now become my husband. All my senses sharpened, I noticed every little thing: the way his hands were trembling nervously, the way a vein in his throat was beating, betraying a rapid heartbeat.

I imagined his heart beating in his chest, and thought with pleasure that this heart would henceforth belong to me. Now it depended on me whether it would beat from happiness or from grief. I realized that I take responsibility.

When Karim finally approached me, I was suddenly overcome by a wave of emotion. My lips trembled, tears welled up in my eyes, and I could hardly restrain myself from bursting into tears. However, it only lasted a few seconds, and when my fiancé carefully lifted my veil and opened my face, we both laughed with joy.

The women around us burst into cheers and stamped their feet loudly. It is not often in Saudi Arabia that a bride and groom meet each other with such joy. I looked into Karim's eyes and literally drowned in them, unable to believe my happiness. I grew up in darkness, and my husband, who by all laws should have become for me another source of fear and grief, actually promised me deliverance from the shackles of slavery.

Karim and I wanted to be alone so much that we stayed among the guests for a very short time, accepting congratulations. While Karim scattered gold coins among the merry guests, I quietly slipped away to change for my honeymoon.

I wanted to talk to my father, but he hurried off to his business as soon as all the formalities were completed. Apparently, he felt an inexpressible relief; the youngest daughter, who gave him so much anxiety, is now finally safely married, and all responsibility for her future fate is now shifted to the shoulders of another man. My desire for intimacy with my father never came true.

Karim promised me that we would spend our honeymoon where I want and how I want. With childish delight, I sorted out the names of places where I would like to visit. We were going to go to Cairo, from there to Paris, New York, then to Los Angeles and Hawaii. Eight precious weeks of freedom from Saudi Arabia awaited us.

I put on an emerald green silk suit and went out to say goodbye to my sisters. Sarah sobbed bitterly and did not stop repeating:

- Take heart, Sultana! Be a brave girl!

My heart broke at the sight of her tears. I knew that the memories of my own marriage would never be erased from her heart. It will take years and years for these scars to heal.

I put on an abaya and veil over my fancy suit and sat in the back seat of the Mercedes next to my husband. My luggage, consisting of fourteen suitcases, had already been delivered to the airport.

So that no one bothers us, Karim bought all the first class seats on our plane. The Lebanese stewardesses gave us knowing smiles at how stupid we were. We really acted like teenagers, because we didn’t know what courtship was at all.

And here we are in Cairo! Customs formalities are quickly passed, and the car takes us to a luxurious villa, standing right on the banks of the ancient Nile. This villa, owned by Karim's father, was built in the eighteenth century by a wealthy Turkish merchant. Subsequently, it was restored in accordance with the taste of the new owner. It had about thirty rooms on different levels, and semicircular windows overlooking a flowering garden. The walls were covered with soft blue tiles with images of some mythological animals.

I was delighted with the house and told Karim that I could not have imagined a better place to start a married life. The interior decoration of the villa spoke of the unconditional taste of its owner, involuntarily evoking the absurdity of Nura's palace.

I suddenly thought that the amount of money does not at all testify to the inner world of their owner. At that time I was only sixteen years old, but, fortunately, my husband did not forget about it. He facilitated my entry into the adult world with a solution that I consider unique in Saudi Arabia.

Karim, like me, had a sharply negative attitude towards the traditions of marriage in our country. He said that strangers should not have intimate relationships, even if they are husband and wife. In his opinion, a man and a woman should get to know each other better, then a desire for intimacy will appear.

Karim said that he had long ago decided that after the wedding he would court me in such a way as to win my love. He wanted me to one day say the phrase:

“I want to know everything about you!” We spent our days and nights in entertainment - dining in restaurants, riding to the pyramids, wandering through the noisy Cairo bazaars, reading books and talking to each other. The servants stared in amazement at the merry young couple, especially when we retired to our bedrooms for the night.

On the fourth night, I dragged Karim into my bed myself. Later, resting my head comfortably on his shoulder, I whispered that I seemed to be like those scandalous young women in Riyadh who publicly claim to enjoy making love to their husbands.

I had never been to America, and I was eager to form my opinion about a people who spread their culture all over the world, but, as it seemed to me, knew so little about other peoples and countries. Rude and assertive New Yorkers scared me, and I breathed a sigh of relief when we flew to Los Angeles.

The city seemed to me much more peaceful, and the people in it were kind and amiable. In California, I had to meet many Americans who come there from almost all states, and I eventually told Karim that I liked these strange, noisy people. When he asked me why I liked them, it took me a while to explain. Finally I said:

- I am sure that the mixture of different cultures that happened in America brought this civilization much closer to reality than any single country.

It seemed to me that Karim did not quite understand my words, and I explained:

- Only a few large countries have the opportunity to ensure the complete freedom of their citizens without plunging the state into chaos.

Imagine complete freedom for people in the Arab world: a country the size of America would immediately be in a state of civil war, and every citizen would be sure that he had the right recipe for everyone else. In our countries, people see nothing further than their own nose, that's the whole difference!

Karim was shocked by my speech. He had never seen a woman who was interested in anything other than home, children, jewelry and clothing. Until late at night, he kept asking and asking me questions, trying to get my opinion on a variety of reasons. It was clear that my husband was not used to a woman having her own opinion, different from the opinion of men.

When I began to rant about politics, he was already in a state of complete shock. Finally, after recovering somewhat, he kissed my neck and said that I should continue my education when we returned to Riyadh.

I was somewhat annoyed by his patronizing tone and declared that I was able to decide the question of my education myself. The planned eight weeks of honeymoon travel stretched to ten, and only after a call from Father Karim, we finally began to pack for the return journey. We planned to live in the house of Karim's parents until a separate villa was built for us.

I knew that Karim's mother did not love me, and I was fully aware that she would try to make my life miserable. I already regretted my intemperance at our first meeting, but, unfortunately, you cannot return the past. I also knew that Karim, like any Arab man, would never take the side of his wife in her conflicts with her mother-in-law. So it was I who had to come to their house with the olive branch of the world and try to establish contact with new relatives.

With a heavy heart, I stepped onto the concrete of the airport in Riyadh. Karim reminded me not to forget to drop the veil, and now I knew that for a long time I would only remember those beautiful days when I could fully enjoy freedom!

My throat was seized with melancholy when we crossed the threshold of Karim's parents' villa. At that moment, I did not yet know that my husband's mother hated me so much that she had already begun to weave intrigues, the purpose of which was to end our happy union.

Any happy love story always implies a beautiful wedding. For someone, everything is just beginning with a wedding celebration, for someone it continues, but there is no doubt that a wedding is an integral part of any culture. How this holiday is celebrated in Europe - we are well aware: bridesmaids, best men, a bouquet flying in unmarried, and a garter - in bachelors. But how many other wedding traditions - absolutely unusual for Europeans - exist on the rest of the globe?

Especially for Valentine's Day, we have prepared for you a small selection, where we talk about the most unusual wedding traditions in different countries of the world.

Nepal

A wedding in Nepal is called "Bibah" - and it is always celebrated widely, for several days. Husbands and wives for their children are chosen by parents, and this choice is not complete without the advice of an astrologer. The groom's family is interested in whether the couple is suitable for each other, and if so, when is the best time to get married. If the couple, according to the astrologer, "matches", then the first ceremony awaits them - the ceremony of announcing the wedding. It is conducted by the bride's father: in the groom's house, he hands him a jug lit in the temple as a symbol of trust. The second ceremony is already taking place in the bride's house - this is the acquaintance of the bride with the groom. She puts a garland of flowers around his neck and they exchange rings. The next ceremony is the wedding itself. A whole procession goes through the streets, which is accompanied by music and dances. Everything is brightly decorated with flowers and fabrics. The bride is dressed in red, as in Nepal red is the color of marriage. After the holiday, the bride and groom go to the bride's house, where they spend their wedding night. The next morning, the newlyweds are escorted to the groom's house, where they begin their new family life.

Papua New Guinea

In Papua New Guinea, urban dwellers are only 15% of the rest of the population, who still live the same way as our ancestors did millions of years ago: they are completely alien to any benefits of civilization. It is these Papuans that will be discussed, or rather, their wedding traditions. As a rule, girls are married off early, at 11-12 years old. All women of the tribe are powerless, so the decision to marry is made exclusively by men. The bride and groom must be equally young and belong to the same tribe. When the parents have chosen spouses for each other - the groom goes to the bride's hut surrounded by fellow tribesmen, and she comes out decorated in black and red - this is how the future husband and wife get to know each other. The groom's family saves for a long time for a dowry, which, as a rule, is rather big: most often it is food and livestock. As you know, in the tribes of Papua New Guinea, men and women live separately, so after the wedding celebration, which is accompanied by songs and dances of the native tribe, the bride and groom disperse to their communities. They meet infrequently - in a special hut for dates, where, by the way, the first wedding nights of the newlyweds take place. The rest of the time - everyone minds their own business.

Bangladesh

It is worth starting with the fact that Bangladesh is the poorest country in the world, in which there is a large shortage of fresh water, which, of course, affects the living conditions of the locals. Nevertheless, there, as elsewhere, people get married and live a family life - despite all the hardships. What are the wedding traditions in Bangladesh? There is a certain age requirement: girls can marry from 18 years old, boys - from 21 years old. Wives and husbands are chosen by parents, but at the same time, the bride, like the groom, can refuse to marry if she does not like the chosen one. Also, a young man is unlikely to be given the “go-ahead” to start a family if he does not have his own income. If all conditions are met, and the bride agrees, the matter begins to approach the wedding. As a rule, a large platform is built for the celebration, on which the whole holiday takes place. It is generously decorated with all sorts of flowers and even fruits. Everyone dances, sings, honors the young. Such a celebration costs a lot of money, and there is even a joke that in Bangladesh, no one has financial means, because they all go to weddings. Speaking of money, the bride's parents save up a large dowry for the groom's family. After the wedding, the newly-made wife goes to her husband's house, where she must completely obey his will.

Mongolia

If the groom expressed a desire to marry, his father takes on the task of finding a bride. When the intended bride is found, the matchmaker begins to bring her gifts, which are called "hadak". If the bride "hadak" accepts - then by doing so she says about her consent to marriage, and then preparations for the wedding begin. The bride and groom do not see each other before the wedding.

On the day of the celebration, the groom comes to the yurt of his future wife on a horse and brings another horse with him - for her. The bride comes out of the yurt, her face is covered with a red veil, sits on a horse, and they, together with the groom, go to the house of his parents. On their way - in the form of a game - there are various obstacles that their relatives and friends have prepared for them. This symbolizes the trials that await them in family life, and everyone is watching how amicably and unitedly they will go through them. Arriving at the yurt of their parents, the newlyweds enter it and begin to take care of it: the groom makes a fire, the bride prepares tea. Thus, they show their parents that they are ready for family life. When the parents give their approval, the celebration begins. The bride sits separately from all the guests, and the groom - with everyone else. The holiday lasts until sunset, after which the feast ends, all the guests disperse, and the bride and groom go to spend their wedding night. In the morning they go to the house of the bride's parents with gifts. Throughout the honeymoon, the newlyweds live in the groom's house, where they listen to instructions on the family life of his mother and father. Only after that they can go to live separately.

Saudi Arabia

An Arab wedding is always a grandiose celebration, for which the families of the newlyweds spend up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sometimes millions. However, this can be found anywhere in the world - if the wedding is celebrated by millionaires - and what about cultural traditions? There are always two halls at the festival: one for men, the second for women. Actually, the bride and groom celebrate the wedding separately from each other. Alcohol is strictly prohibited on the holiday, but Arabic coffee flows like water. When all the male guests are satisfied, it's time to dance. Dancers and musicians appear in the hall to perform a traditional Bedouin dance, which can be seen at any Arab wedding.

In the female part, everything is no less interesting! The hall is decorated much richer, all the women are dressed in the best outfits. The bride changes up to five dresses per evening - which speaks of the generosity of the future groom, because all expenses fall on his shoulders and the shoulders of his family.

Due to the fact that there are no and cannot be men in the women's section, women often take off their hijabs and veils. So they remain in cocktail dresses, expensive shoes and gold jewelry - thereby demonstrating the wealth of their spouses.

Of course, a women's celebration is not complete without music: as a rule, the bride invites foreign pop stars to perform at her wedding.

At the end of the celebration, the groom enters the bride's hall along with witnesses, makes a short speech, and then takes his newly made wife and they go to their new home.

In total, there are 197 countries in the world, each of them has its own wedding traditions, and, of course, it is impossible to fit them into one material. However, whatever the traditions, and whatever the wedding, the most important thing is that it should be followed by a happy family life. What we wish all our readers.

Ekaterina Mayorova

As a Saudi woman, I've had to endure a couple of unsuccessful (fortunately) attempts to get me married, so I decided to shed light on the hypocrisy with which many of my compatriots talk about some of the features of our culture.

Courtship and sex in Saudi Arabia

Due to the active propaganda of Wahhabism in the second half of the 1990s, everything related to the attempts of young people to find a mate on their own (acquaintances, dates, courtship, flirting) is considered a shame. In schools and mosques, girls were given booklets in which men were called nothing more than wolves or mad dogs. For the most part, this propaganda was directed at girls from the age of eight, so that in their heads every man was drawn as a cunning hungry monster, including his father and brothers. I remember how the teacher assured me that men are not able to control themselves, so that Allah will blame me for the sin of his son.

Particular emphasis was placed on the preservation of virginity (mainly on the preservation of the hymen) for the future husband. As a result, women rarely enter into conversation with members of the opposite sex, but lesbian love is a common thing and a safe substitute for an intimate life before marriage, followed by sexual violence, which is not customary to talk about.

In bringing up "good Muslim" boys (in the words of my brother), school tutors emphasize crude masculinism. They hear a lot of jokes about wives who are just looking for an opportunity to meet their lover as soon as the husband leaves for work.

The most popular comparisons for women are keyhole, rotten meat (outdoors for everyone to see). Boys are taught that a woman is a threat to their masculinity and their ability to control their home. They are taught that women are inferior creatures and are not capable of making decisions on their own. Only men should make decisions.

Thus, your female household members should not show any parts of their bodies and leave the house at all, otherwise you are not worthy to be called a man. The woman who dared to look a man in the eye is a slut from a broken family.

However, there are far fewer booklets for boys than for girls, since men can move around much more freely. Adolescent boys are often left on their own, while girls are supervised both at school and at home.

So, no dates?

M Not really. It is common for every human being to seek company, and this is where social networks, online dating, and iPhones have come to the aid of young people since the 90s.

However, due to propaganda and tradition, most men do not marry those with whom they have an affair, preferring a stranger/cousin of their mother's choice (!!!). The logic is this: "if she talked with me (a man), then it is not known how many other boyfriends she had." He would rather take the risk of marrying a complete stranger, expecting her to love him, even though she was taught from an early age not to trust any man."

And most girls do have a lot of secret online boyfriends to fulfill their emotional needs, realizing the need to maintain a seemingly innocent image until the family decides to marry her to some cousin.

In the 2000s, many attempts were made to shut down online dating. There were cases when girls were blackmailed for money: for example, they threatened to expose them naked in front of male relatives, which, according to local traditions, should have ended in an “honor killing” or forced “honor suicide”. The fact that the court has always been stricter on women than on men added even more mistrust and fear to the relationship.

Harassment and harassment of women in parks and malls is commonplace, and as a rule, it is women who are subsequently accused of seduction. Even if the body of a woman was completely covered, but she turns out to be without male accompaniment, it is she who is to blame for the court.

After the end of the term of imprisonment, they can release her only after the signature of the man who is responsible for her. However, often in such cases, women are abandoned and the rest of their days they live in confinement in special social homes that they cannot leave, they cannot use mobile phones, read most books - in essence, this is the same prison. And all because they "disgraced" their male relatives.

So going outside the threshold of the house is really a big risk. As my mentor said, “a woman is like a fragile vase, if a crack appears, it is already impossible to fix it, just throw it out.”

Is it possible to meet your future half at work?

Representatives of some professions (usually, with a high level of education) can actually meet with members of the opposite sex at meetings, in lobbies, canteens, but as a rule, they perform their duties in different offices. These are hospitals, research institutes, banks, and so on. I have friends who met their future husbands at work.

However, society treats such women's professions very disapprovingly. Such women are usually under the constant attention of colleagues and even, at times, insane male relatives or strangers.

This photo, in which hospital workers of different sexes exchange flowers on their professional holiday, made a lot of noise at the time. So much so that the Department of Health launched an investigation into this "egregious incident."

So how does marriage usually take place?

According to tradition, the girl meets the mother of the candidate for husband. She has no right to speak with her future husband until she signs her marriage document.

The sequence of events is:

A holiday is arranged only for female representatives, where a potential bride dressed like a peacock tries her best to please her future mother-in-law.

1st visit: The mother of the groom visits the homes of all the girls who seem suitable to her. At the same time, girls behave quieter than water, lower than grass, and speak only when they are asked about something. If the first stage is passed, the mother of the groom will call back later.

2nd visit: the guy and his family come to the bride's house and the young people are allowed to look at each other for a couple of minutes. Basically, a girl waits on her potential spouse and exchanges a couple of formal words with him under the supervision of her father, brothers and other male relatives. At this moment, the main thing is not to look into the eyes, otherwise the stigma of a whore is guaranteed to you. And you can’t speak first - you are an innocent creature who for the first time in his life saw a living man who is not your relative. After a couple of minutes of this test, the girl should leave.

Telephone conversations: if you have a question for a potential husband, tell your mother, she will call his mother, she will receive an answer, which will be transmitted in the same channel in reverse order. And of course, no sensitive questions! A friend of mine found out that her husband was gay only a year after the wedding.

Depending on age and other data, the father of the bride and the groom are bargaining for her price. Sometimes the groom demands extra money even after the wedding, and if the father cannot pay, he will annul the marriage. Nobody can stop him from doing this. After the ceremony, he is already officially married, but has not yet announced this publicly, so he has a good opportunity to blackmail the family of new relatives.

Fortunately, I managed to avoid all this: I escaped with a couple of unsuccessful attempts to marry me off and now I live abroad.

weddings in Saudi Arabia pass very magnificently and with wide on a grand scale. All kinds of jewelry are in use: bracelets, ankle rings, rings, necklaces, nose rings and brooches from a wide variety of materials - metal, horn, coral, glass. Girls with six years old age tattooed blue or green paint on the forehead and chin, and often also on the lips, cheeks, arms, chest, and soles of the feet.

So social A survey conducted by a team from Koros Saud University in the Saudi capital Riyadh showed that preparing a bride's appearance for a wedding in the country is an additional financial burden. According to the results of the study, the minimum amount of money spent on “beautifying” the bride is approximately $3,000. As for the average amount spent on one girl, it is approximately %70,000.

According to a study published in the Saudi newspaper Middle East, 92% of men and 69% of women believe that the main problem of a wedding is an expensive ransom. For 89% of men and 65% of women, it is the increase in the amount of money needed to organize a wedding that contributes to the increased reluctance to marry.

The large monetary expenses intended for bride price dowry create, frankly, damage the budget of the newlyweds. Recently, however, charitable organizations and religious institutions have reduced the bridegroom's expenses to a minimum. But this did not help in resolving the problem. A new stumbling block has become modern fashion with all its trends and directions.

As one of the wedding stylists says, preparing the appearance of the bride for the wedding is not limited to makeup and hair. “Recently, many Saudi girls have resorted to plastic surgery before their wedding for breast correction, lip augmentation, nose correction and even to change the voice and get rid of snoring,” he added.

Note that not only women turn to plastic surgeons. Men also strive for beauty and before the wedding, they turn to surgeons for hair transplantation, removal of fatty deposits. Interestingly, in most cases, men come to the doctor with their fiancees, who tell the doctor what needs to be corrected and where.

Note that Saudi Arabia ranks first in the Arab world in terms of the number of plastic surgeries.

On a festive Saudi wedding table Arabia dominated dairy products - fresh, sour and evaporated milk powder, cheese, rarely ghee. Dates and grains are added to this, from which they bake insipid cakes and boiled steep porridge - burgul. The meat is boiled or fried in stone-lined pits. From meat is cooked marak - thick broth seasoned with spices.

For many, the favorite drink of the Arabs is also festive - coffee, the preparation and drinking of which is regarded as a solemn ceremony, usually associated with reception guests. It is supposed that the owner himself brewed coffee, and in rich families special servant- qahwaji.

The grains are fried, pounded in copper or stone mortar and boiled in tall copper or brass vessels, by making which famous El-Hasa. The drink is served in small half-filled cups, carried around with guests in order. seniority. Honored guests are served coffee three times, after which they should thank and refuse. At wedding celebrations coffee drink without sugar but with the addition of spices; the so-called sugar coffee has nothing to do with coffee does not have: it is a drink made from hot water, sugar and spices.

Folk wedding ceremonies in Saudi Arabia have practically disappeared. The ancient custom of sending matchmakers in absentia has undergone changes still at the end XIX in. Young people usually agreed with each other in advance, and only after that the matchmakers went to the bride's parents.

AT case prosperous exodus matchmaking, the names of the bride and groom were announced three Sundays in a row in the local church.

The way of life of the inhabitants of Saudi Arabia is fundamentally different from the usual European way of life. This, of course, left its shade on such an important event as a wedding celebration. Marriage among the Arabs is an enchanting action, luxurious and picturesque in the Oriental way, with its own peculiarities characteristic of the East. And the East, as you know, is a delicate matter.

The first thing that catches your eye is the celebration itself, which takes place by gender. To be more precise, the groom, groom's friends, relatives, and indeed all male guests celebrate in one place, and the bride with her friends and women from among the invited guests - in another hall. Tables in the women's and men's halves are bursting with treats. Sometimes a family can spend several hundred thousand dollars on such events, depending on the level of wealth. Alcohol is strictly prohibited, but traditional Arabic coffee flows like water. As a rule, the main dish at any event, including a wedding, in Saudi Arabia is kabse - a dish of lamb and rice, a bit reminiscent of pilaf.

The feast of the groom with the guests, in a sense, resembles a bachelor party, only, perhaps without alcohol !!!, which does not affect either the appetite or the mood of the guests. What is a wedding without dancing? After the guests are satisfied, dancers and musicians come to the hall to perform the traditional Bedouin sword dance. However, this can be called a dance with a stretch - the dancers, not particularly straining, just sway from side to side with sabers at the ready.

Much more fun in the hall of the bride. The very decoration and design of the hall is much more luxurious than in the hall for men. And the bride herself looks more than gorgeous on this significant day, changing at least five outfits during the evening, each of which would be the envy of any European fashionista, thereby showing the generosity and prosperity of the future spouse, because the entire financial side of the event falls on the shoulders of the groom. Since there are no men in the female half, the ladies have the right to throw off their black covers and flaunt in cocktail dresses, demonstrating not only their shapes, but also weighty gold jewelry, which, in principle, is typical of all women in the world. Mandatory at the banquet should be the presence of a singer, any singer, at the discretion of the bride, even if it's Madonna.

The evening ends with the fact that the groom, having entered the hall with a witness, after a short speech from the stage, taking the newlywed by the hand, leaves the hall with her in anticipation of the wedding night.

in the wealthy families The wedding is celebrated for three days in a row. The walls and ceilings in the house are upholstered with white canvas, the floor is lined with juniper, and the yard is decorated with young birch trees in summer. The bride is dressed in a silk dress tied with a scarf and combed hair so that they formed a high solid pyramid, on which, in addition to shiny jewelry attach the crown and veil.

Then the wedding procession goes to church, accompanied by musicians playing a march. After the wedding, a wedding dinner was arranged, then games and dancing.

Invited gifts are given to the newlyweds at the wedding. So noted marriage only in the families of wealthy peasants. At the poor In Saudi Arabia, the wedding ceremony is greatly simplified and often humble refreshments relatives and friends of the newlyweds.
Women in Saudi Arabia make up about half of the working population. In recent years, women have become more active participate in public life countries.