Weddings in Algiers

No matter how much I said about Algeria, I couldn't possibly give it all the credit it deserved. It is a country with a huge number of diverse customs and social habits (ah and superstitions, too). In this entry, I’ll be talking about how weddings are organised in Algiers, specifically. Even so, within Algiers, there is more than one way of holding wedding parties. Therefore, and to be fair, I’ll, exclusively, describe how things are done in the part of Algiers I come from, . 

Japanimation, Manga and old doodles

My story with Anime and Manga started since I was born and it’s never ended. When I was a teen, it became my full time hobby, to watch and draw Anime. I was no professional though, I only doodled on school notebooks, school tables, doors, walls, toilets whenever I got a detention. School course books, uniforms and windows weren’t spared either. At home, I doodled on walls, my notebooks and paper. My favourite Animes back then were: Wolf’s rain, Lady Oscar, Trigun, Robin Witch hunter, One Piece, Little Maroko, Lovely Complex. Elfen Lied, Fruit Basket, Yoyohakusho, Saiyuki, Ayashi No Ceres, Touch (Tachi), Ranma ½, Ryosaiba, Sailor moon, Maison Ikkoku and of course DBZ. 

My top favourite now are definitely GTO, , Vision of Escaflown and Miyazaki’s work.

DOllz - Part 1

My favourite dolls are rag ones. I once went to a doll contest (gallery) In Albiar. Algiers.

The contest called for participants to hand make however dolls are they wished,

The conditions, though, were as follows:

1-      The doll has to be a rag one.

2-      Has to be hand made

3-      Has to be wearing Algerian traditional clothes (also hand made) from any city.

4-      A theme should be thought of and organised.

Dollz - part 2

These pictures reflect a number of traditional aspects, such as clothes, the decoration of houses indoors, the bridal Henna, boys circumcision, afternoon tea/coffee, El-Hemmam, Zawya and much more.

You'll also see various tools old tool (well, not that old, people still use them in the villages, moutains, the desert and many places outside the major cities). These tool involve, Shekwa, Qerdash, Loh, Siyyar, Lhafsa, Thashmoukhth, Azetta, Tajin, and much more.

My henna basket made by Hajira 

The bridal Henna: it is a tradition in many -but not all cities- to have an evening or an afternoon to put Henna on the bride's hands and feet before her big wedding day. Family women, old and young, get together to share this moment of joy in the family. the grannies sit around the bride and sing. They sometimes beat the drum too. The dry henna is presented in decorated basket that consists of decorated eggs, candles, cotton pads or handkerchiefs to cover the henna once applied on the wife-to-be hand's.  The 'head granny' sits at the brides knees, sings along and stir the Henna mix, put in copper pot, with her thumb. When the mixture is ready, she applies some on the bride's palm, forming a circle filled with Henna paste. 

Boys circumcision: The Muslim families in Algeria circumcise their boys between the age of 1 month and 5 years old. Usually a great party is organised to celebrate the event. ladies perform the Yuyus ( a traditional "scream" if i can call it so?) special sets of blankets, napkins, bed sheets, table clothes, pillow cases and other linen pieces cover the room. The boy wears tradtional clothes, including a hat, long gown and cape and pointy soft embroidered slippers. He, then, gets taken to the doctor's to be circumcised and then brought back home and put to lie down on those new sets of linen. All family members shower the boy with money - even the neighbours get in the house to congratulate him and wish him the best. Nowadays, many families, in the major cities, organise big parties with DJ's or musical bands and invite people to have coffee.