Re: queries from the language-impaired

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Posted by Kenzi on February 01, 2000 at 04:14:18:

In Reply to: queries from the language-impaired posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on February 01, 2000 at 02:53:53:

: Next, from Bourilly, 1932
: "A ces rites {de mariage} qui peuvent s'expliquer par un
passage,
: il faut ajouter certains rites d'un caractere magique qui ont pour
but
: de purifier les epoux avant la consommation; qui ont un but
: prophylactique, comme la teinture au henne'. "

***"To these marriage rites which can be explained by a passage, one
must add certain rights of a magical nature whose goal is to purify
the spouses before the consummation; who have a goal of prevention,
as in the dye of henna."

: Also,
: "Le lendemain, le futur fait porter a sa fiancee la corbeille,
: isougwi, c'est-a-dure des vetenebtsm auxquels il ajoute du henne et
: des dattes, le tout dans une corbeille qu'unejeaune femme apporte
sur
: la tete...
: La premiere ceremonie est l'application du henna a la future.
C'est
: une vieille femme, la ngafa, qui est chargee de cette operation,
La
: future est assise sur un siege eleve, la tete recouverte d'un voile
de
: mousseline, les deux mains ouvertes et tendues en avant. A cote
: d'elle, ses amies et ses parents se tiennent debout, et autour les
: invites, hommes et femmes. La ngafa s'approche de la jeune fille
avec
: un plateau recouvert d'un foulard de tete sur lequel est depose le
bol
: contenant le henna pile et delaye dans l'eau chaude, avec au milieu
un
: oeuf frais dans sa coquille. On brule de l'encens dans un
rechaud.
: La ngafa applique le henne sur les deux nains jusqu'au poignet,
tandis
: que les femmes chantent...
: De son coe, le futur subit une operation analogue, dans sa maison.
Il
: est en burnous, la tete recouverte du capuchon; ses islan sont
autour
: de lui. C'est une parente qui lui teint les mains de henne, et
fait
: de meme aux islan....
: La vielle du mariage la mariee, installee dans le grand panier
utilise
: au transport des cereales, s'accroupit dans un plat a couscous et
se
: lave soigneusement avec de l'eau chaude ou a macere du henne....
: Le septieme jour, apres le henne, la fiancee est conduite dans sa
: nouvelle demeure."

****"The following day, the groom has a basket (isougwi=maybe the
name in arabic?) delivered to his fiancee, that is to say
a "vetenebtsm" (huh? is this a typo?) to which he adds henna and
dates, all in a basket which a young woman carries on her head...
The first ceremony is the application of the henna to the bride. It
is an old woman, the "ngafa" (the henna woman, in arabic? in Morocco
they call her "neqasha") who is given responsibility for this
operation. The bride is seated on a raised seat, her head covered
with a muslin veil, her hands held out open in front of her.
The "ngafa" comes carrying a tray covered with a head scarf which
covers a bowl of ground henna mixed with hot water with a fresh egg
in the shell in the middle. Insence is burned in a brasier.
The "ngafa" applies the henna on both hands up to the wrists while
women sing...
For his part, the groom goes through the same process in his house.
He is wearing a burnous (a long gown/cloak), his head covered by the
hood of the burnous. His "islan" (don't know what this is, maybe
family members, or in-laws - I think it's an arabic word). His
parents hold his hennaed hands, in fact ...(don't know from there
because i don't know what "islan" means)...
The day before the wedding, the bride, set up in the large basket
used for carrying grains, crouches on couscous plate (yes, really!)
and is carefully washed (or "washes herself") with hot water and
crushed henna...
The seventh day after the henna the bride is brought to her new
house."

Hope that helps. I will ask around and see if I can find the meaning
of "islan".



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