| A young couple decides to tie the knot in Tahrir Square in celebration of their love and freedom By Randa El Tahawy |
| For the protesters in Tahrir Square, the 18 days of popular uprisings had many milestones. January 25, when it all started. January 28, the Friday of Anger. February 1, when then-president Hosni Mubarak promised not to run for reelection, followed swiftly by Black Wednesday, the violent clashes on February 2. The disappointment of Mubarak’s February 10 speech and the euphoria of February 11, when Mubarak finally stepped down.But for two protesters, February 6 is the most memorable day of the revolution. On that day, surrounded by army tanks and a community of thousands, 28-year-old Ahmed Zafaan and 22-year-old Ola Abdelhamid got married. “The rumors that we met each other at the square and got married there are false,” says Zafaan, a pharmacist. “We have been engaged for a year and a half now.” Their decision to celebrate their marriage contract in Tahrir made them minor celebrities. Early on in the day, news started circulating among people at the square and via Facebook and Twitter that a young couple was tying the knot in the square. Shortly after, photos of the couple hit the internet along with several other news reports about the bride and groom of Tahrir Square. The newlyweds met two years ago while Zafaan was volunteering at one of the numerous community programs he is involved in. The couple had already set a date to celebrate theirkatb el-ketab (wedding contract) before the revolution put the country on hold for 18 days. And like many of their friends, Zafaan and Abdelhamid had been camping in Tahrir Square from the day it started. “We couldn’t delay the wedding,” Zafaan says, “and at the same time we couldn’t imagine celebrating this day without our friends in the square.” Zafaan and Abdelhamid completed their katb el-ketab with the ma’zoun (registrar) at home on February 5. The next day, they went back to Tahrir to celebrate their marriage. “We wanted to make people happy and show everyone how strong we were, because we felt that at that point a lot of people had lost hope in the cause,” says Abdelhamid, adding that she was surprised by just how much their wedding had touched people. “I am happy that we were able to participate in any way to help bring back hope to the people.” The couple was greeted by thousands in and out of Tahrir, celebrities were taking pictures with them and total strangers even offered the young couple wedding gifts. Despite their growing popularity, the couple admits that they were initially not very pleased with the intense attention they received from the different media channels, but they soon realized that this attention was helping further the protesters’ cause. Zafaan believes that by celebrating their union in Tahrir, they were able to send a message not only to the government, but to the entire world, that the people in Tahrir were strong and weren’t leaving until their demands were met. And needless to say that they now have a great story to tell their children and grandchildren; a great lesson on how one can protect their own country. The couple are hoping that the fight for a better Egypt will still continue following the model of Tahrir Square. “I can’t find words to describe the 18 days I spent in Tahrir Square,” says Abdelhamid. “What I saw there deserves to be turned into a novel. The revolution really brought out the best of the Egyptian people.” Her husband adds, “There wasn’t a better place for us to celebrate this day than in Tahrir.” |
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