It turns out that this was the last night of the wedding. It was really a ceremony. That had already taken place at the mosque a few days earlier. Amazingly, the bride doesn't even need to be there--the father suffices. Anyways, the party we went to was something resembling a reception. Now, most receptions in the States are 100-200 people, right? Well, this "average size" wedding was approximately 600-700 people! Supposedly this is an auspicious time to marry--in between Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al Ahda (which is coming soon!). My neighbors complained that they've been to seven weddings in the past few weeks.This was quite the production! The bride and groom arrived to the soundtrack of "Rocky", followed by a smoke machine and an array of video cameras, including three hoisted on large booms. All night the bride and groom (and the guests) were accosted by brightly lit cameras, and our images were quickly showcased on one of the ten television sets. Lucky for them they had purchased a quick edit program, so the bride was able to see herself inside a throbbing heart or butterflies fluttering around her.
The best part was when we headed to the dance floor. I must have inherited my father's incredible ability to shake. Suddenly when I shook my shoulders, the old women were laughing and challenging me to shake even more! I even got shoved in front of the bride. I'm sure she was wondering, "Who on earth is this white girl?? At my wedding!" I just smiled and snapped my fingers at her; she returned the snap and smile. (I think that had to do with sending each other good luck!)Unfortunately, just as we were starting to break a sweat, the party was over. Rules are rules. All parties must finish at 11. We dragged ourselves off the dance floor and actually got a decent night sleep!
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