Diamond Studio Wedding Centre

Tanzanian Wedding

Within the Tanzanian Muslims, as with all other Muslims, a wedding is the joining of families, of two destinies and two souls. Muslim weddings in Tanzania follow cultural traditions. Muslims are strongly encouraged to marry and Muhammad, the Muslim prophet, condemns celibacy. In Tanzania, it is a great honor for a girl and her parents when a man asks her to marry him. In spite of their opinion, girls have very little say when it comes to marriage and their parents can do as they please. Islamic law dictates that women should not be forced into a union but in Tanzania, the common practice is to put the needs of the groom first. Sometimes, the bride is not asked for her consent and she is not even needed to sign a marriage contract.

Most Tanzanian Muslim weddings take place on Sundays during the preferred time of year, which is ‘Shawwal’. Before the wedding, the bride is appointed a Sumo, her mother’s best friend. The Sumo is not supposed to leave the bride at any time before the wedding. The work of the Sumo is to decorate the bride and make her beautiful for the wedding. The beauty treatment is given for her hair, skin and nails. Her body is covered with a thick mixture of sugar and limejuice. This exfoliates her skin and removes all the hair on her body as she is only permitted to have hair on her head. ‘Mehdi’, commonly known as Henna, is very important and is used to intricately decorate the bride’s hands and feet. Her hair is set in twists and covered in oils. Her make-up is applied while perfumed oils are used to anoint her body. She then waits for the groom while decked with jewels and wearing her veil.

In most Tanzanian Muslim weddings traditions, the bride and groom have never actually met prior to the wedding, and have therefore never seen each other. Despite this, and despite the heavy preparations that the bride undergoes, she does not attend her wedding ceremony. She stays at home with her sumo waiting for her groom while her family holds a big celebration. When the ceremony is over, the sumo prepares a bed for the bride and groom and fills it with petals of aromatic flowers. The sumo then leaves after the groom pays her the agreed fee for the work she has done. She receives a great welcome from the groom’s family. After this, they reception, which can last from three to seven days, is held. Though Muslim wedding traditions vary in different countries, they are generally large joyous occasions.

Tanzanian Wedding

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