A Wedding of The Local

An opportunity not to be missed!!!

That was my first reaction when a mail popped up in my inbox inviting me for a wedding of a Qatari colleague. It was indeed an opportunity that came once a life time, may be. It was the best opportunity to learn about local culture & people. From my conversation with colleagues who had been here for many years, not many had attended a wedding for local...

Hundreds of people braved the cold winter night to attend the wedding reception. It was held at an open space with only small portion of it covered under the tent. The area was carpeted though. The temperature that evening was only 13 Celcius! It was freezing cold...

For this kind of reception, it was meant for men only. I meant, ONLY the men were invited. No wife, no family. A very unique wedding reception. Nobody brought present either. No money exchanged hand. The reception was purely organised for families & friends to congratulate the groom on his big day. Nothing else.

What I could watch that night was a very traditional wedding reception night. A group of people played something like kompang & another group dance with the swords. They danced, they took some rest. They repeated the routine until dinner served. Dinner was served on big trays & shared among the guests. One big tray for a group of 6-8 people. I would say, it was done in full spirit of sunnah of the Prophet Mohamed SAW. I also had the opportunity to taste the camel's meat that night...

In short, it was a night to cherish..

p/s I will try to get the video of the wedding posted on this blog. Hopefully, soon.