Sophia's cousin Tachfine and his wife Meryem had a baby boy only a week ago. Exactly 7 days after the child is born a lamb is slaughtered as part of a ritual process that must be strictly adhered to under Muslim faith. The child is presented later that day to family and friends during a ceremony of food and music. When we first arrived there was a long slightly uncomfortable wait as we sat facing each other in Tachfine's home waiting for the remaining guests. While Morocco is a fairly 'relaxed' islamic country, you certainly won't find a cold beer at any traditional events and this one was no exception so, being Australian, i was beginning to wonder if this was an invite i should have thought twice about before accepting. I wondered around to find that there was actually 5 different tables scattered throughout the house and there must have been at least 60 guests, some dressed in beautiful traditional Moroccan kaftans with head scarves, some in modern glamorous kaftans with detailed embroidery and beading and some, like me, just in a shirt and jeans. Without warning there was action all around, waiters in neat black suits hurried around carrying big silver platters of seafood bastela for each table to share. Then came an apricot, almond, fig and lamb (fresh from the morning...) tagine. Delicious. With only a few moments to breath after our two courses, the tables were whipped away and the room was drowned in passionate singing and the rhythmic percussion of north African drums, everyone was on their feet dancing and clapping to the beat. I was truly washed away in the excitement of it all and was only reminded of the importance of this event when Tachfine and Meryem majestically appearing carrying their beautiful new baby boy Elies. That's how a baby naming ceremony should always done!
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| a fish out of water. immersed in Mothers, Aunts and Cousins |
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music playing.....Sophia to the dance floor please!
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| A quick review of my images |
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| The lucky couple, Tachfine and his wife Meryem |
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