What is the 3-day wedding tradition in Halayeb and Shalateen?

CAIRO – 16 August 2022: In Egypt’s Eastern Desert, specifically in the Halayeb and Shalateen region, customs and traditions differ from one place to another. The Halayeb and Shalateen region are inhabited by the Bechariya and Ababda tribes, who have three-day wedding traditions.

The three days are in a row. The first day is called a Soncap. It is a special day for women and girls, and men do not interfere in it at all. Women listen to traditional songs from the Beja tribes and dance to them. Palm fronds are tied with colored wool, and placed outside the house, as a kind of decoration and a sign that there is a wedding ceremony at the house.  

The second day is the Henna Day, which is a special day for the groom and the bride’s family only, and it is possible that some of the groom’s friends may attend. On this day, the groom had one of his female relatives (aunts or mother) draw him the henna, where he must wear the official dress of the tribe, which is the trousers, the sudairi and the pooja.

Throughout the three days, there is a young man who is called the “Groom’s minister”, as he accompanies the groom during the wedding days, serve him and prepares everything for him. The groom’s  minister role is known in the south as a good omen, as the groom is not supposed to do anything himself as they believe it is a sign of bad luck.  

The third and last day of the wedding has several names. The name in the language of the Beja people is called “Qormay Naqoul,” which means the day of unveiling the head, which is the day on which the groom sees his wife after removes the red shawl off her face, and it is also called the day of the contract, where the marriage contract is signed.

In most cases, the third day of wedding most probably falls on Friday, after the Friday prayer, the invitees gather, the groom's family offers food and Gabana drink (type of coffee), and the wedding ceremony begins from afternoon until night.