Your Egypt

[alna]

One of the most famous wedding traditions in Egypt is for the bride's father or guardian to shake the groom's hand, covering both their hands with a white handkerchief while uttering the ceremonial words: "I marry you ... according to the Koran and the Sunna of the Prophet."

Under normal circumstances, that is what happens at any Egyptian wedding. For some grooms, however, the custom has proved a real problem.

So it was with the hapless Ahmed, 25, who recently failed in his attempt to plight his troth in marriage. While all procedures were correctly followed during Ahmed's nuptials, the crucial matter of the handkerchief destroyed his hopes of wedded bliss.

Having forgotten to bring the necessary item, the unlucky groom was taken to task by his would-be father-in-law who revoked the traditional recognition of the marriage, refusing to reinstate it until the white cloth was found. Given that under Sharia (Muslim legal code), the dissent of the bride's father, or guardian renders a marriage null-and-void, within seconds, every guest was scouring the wedding hall in hopes of finding the vital handkerchief.

Unfortunately, their search was in vain, and given that no one was even able to purchase a substitute handkerchief since it was a Sunday and all stores were shut, the occasion ended on a sad note with the marriage postponed indefinitely.
(Al Ahram)

only in Egypt

[moll]

That's so sad :smt022

and so stupid.......

[saffron]

alna wrote: One of the most famous wedding traditions in Egypt is for the bride's father or guardian to shake the groom's hand, covering both their hands with a white handkerchief while uttering the ceremonial words: "I marry you ... according to the Koran and the Sunna of the Prophet."

Under normal circumstances, that is what happens at any Egyptian wedding. For some grooms, however, the custom has proved a real problem.

So it was with the hapless Ahmed, 25, who recently failed in his attempt to plight his troth in marriage. While all procedures were correctly followed during Ahmed's nuptials, the crucial matter of the handkerchief destroyed his hopes of wedded bliss.

Having forgotten to bring the necessary item, the unlucky groom was taken to task by his would-be father-in-law who revoked the traditional recognition of the marriage, refusing to reinstate it until the white cloth was found. Given that under Sharia (Muslim legal code), the dissent of the bride's father, or guardian renders a marriage null-and-void, within seconds, every guest was scouring the wedding hall in hopes of finding the vital handkerchief.

Unfortunately, their search was in vain, and given that no one was even able to purchase a substitute handkerchief since it was a Sunday and all stores were shut, the occasion ended on a sad note with the marriage postponed indefinitely.
(Al Ahram)

only in Egypt
As I read this I thought that with all of the rituals involved that it sounded a bit to me like a Jewish thing. The Jewish (that is the Jewish in American I know of) have a very ritualized lifestyle.

[Hoss]

That really sounds very ridiculous to me, because it has nothing to do with religion :roll:
The handkerchief thingie is just a tradition, and is just some superstitious good omen for many people :?

By no means it should stop any Muslim marriage from being consummated :shock:

[RoughShod]

Hoss, that reminds me of when I went fishing with my dad. He loved fishing and I wasn't interested in it. Then something strange happened while on holiday with the whole family one day...I decided to fish, so I took my fishing kit along with me on my scrambler and decided to join him in fishing(nowadays one is no longer allowed to ride on beaches with any form of vehicle, without first purchasing a permit). I think what inspired me was a knife I had purchased for the holiday....it was to be used to cut fishing nylon line, and to let out the blood of caught fish.

I wanted to test it out.........

That day I caught more fish than my father did, and suddenly fishing was the in thing for me.

There was one problem my dad tried to tell me not to believe in, I thought that damn fishing knife brought me luck. I had never been very much good at fishing until that time. Since i am supposedly not superstitious, I agreed with him. but that knife had to go out with me on every trip. And I continued to catch more fish than him for whatever reason. Yet his words always remained, its not an object that gives you luck, its your own ability that helps you succeed.


I have lost that knife now a long time ago, and went on a fishing trip again, and once again I caught more fish than my dad did, without it. so tradition maybe is overrated, what is in a mans heart and character, does not need some symbol of traditional strength to make it secure. A man is secure if he is a decent man, that has caring for the needs of others. (and yes to all you tree huggers, I felt sad at the death of every fish I caught, but I tell you what, they really tasted great when I ate them ;)