Inside Egyptian Shaabi Weddings: From Motorcycle Parades to the Nabatchi
With it being wedding season and all, we wanted to share with you one kind of wedding unlike any other.
Known as the Shaabi (street) Egyptian wedding, these weddings take place on the narrow streets of Egypt’s most bustling neighborhoods like Sayeda Zeinab. It’s an understatement to call it a party, as things can get crazy at these weddings. Let’s take a look at the craziest things you may encounter:
Motorcycle Parade
In many Egyptian weddings, there is always a loud and over-the-top procession where the bride and groom make a massive entrance, and all the guests follow them as they enter the venue. Now, picture that procession with a crazy twist.
We are talking about guests as well as the bride and groom arriving while riding atop motorcycles. You’ll hear that vroom vroom from miles away. Also expect some crazy tricks on those very bikes; a true entertainment fest.
An Entrance Of Colored Sand
Before even entering the wedding venue, which is usually a tent within a courtyard or a bustling street, things will get a little colorful; taking up a lot of the floor is a massive colorful illustration. The thing is, it is not paint or chalk but rather sand, colored sand.
These drawings can be of anything. For example, the one above has a heart made up of the first two letters of the bride and groom and, below them, a funky version of Mickey Mouse. You can literally expect anything when it comes to these sandy drawings.
Colored Bulbs Hanging Everywhere
While we are on the topic of decorations, the star of the show has to be the multicolored light bulbs and string lights hanging all over the tents. Beads of lights, akin to curtains, cover all the perimeters. Then, when you look up, you’ll find more lights hanging from the ceiling and maybe even chandeliers at times.
The Dancing Gorilla
Now, it is time to get into the festivities themselves. Picture this: a massive, hairy, stomping gorilla crashing your wedding. Don’t worry—it isn’t, of course, a real gorilla. In many Egyptian shaabi weddings, dancers don a large gorilla costume and head out to entertain the public.
These gorilla dancers have gone insanely viral as they dance with a massive crowd around them, jumping around and bringing joy to all the guests.
A Dose of Stage Dancers
Keeping the entertainment going, inside the tents, atop the raised stage with its own walkway, is a collection of dancers all shaking their hips and dancing away to mahgaragant, the most popular Egyptian street music. They come in coordinated outfits and have their own choreography at the ready.
Bring On The Nabatchi
Known as Egypt’s very own hype man, the Nabatchi is the ultimate king of entertainment. He’ll hop on stage with his mic and start riling up the guests, calling out their names and occupations so they’ll come up on stage and give him the no’ta. You must be wondering what that is. Well, the no’ta is money offered from the guests to the bride and groom.
This makes the nabatachi the bride and groom’s favorite form of entertainment as not only does he keep the crowd satisfied, but he collects money in the process.
Dine in Fino Sandwiches
We went through the entrance, decorations, and entertainment, which only left us with just one more important part of any Egyptian street wedding: the food.
Prepare for an overflow of plastic plates filled with fino sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap with a ketchup satchel on the side. These sandwiches can be filled with literally anything ranging from cheese to kofta.
Beyond the food, sparks of fireworks and even the sound of gunshots can also be expected in such weddings and many other forms of entertainment.
These weddings are completely out of the box and make for unforgettable nights for the bride, groom, family, and friends. Tell us, what are the craziest wedding traditions practiced in your own country?
