Zahran Tribe - Zahrani Tribal Weddings

Zahrani Tribal Weddings

Modern times are changing the way tribal weddings are viewed and performed. "On women’s customs, Najma Al-Zahrani said, “The elder women in the bride’s received members of the groom’s family and this was market by ululation, drum beats and recitation of welcoming poems. The food served at weddings was called ‘hospitality dishes’ and consisted of traditional confectioneries, meals, coffee, dates and pastries,” Najma said while adding that although many women wear extravagant and often-revealing clothes to weddings (women only parties) these days, many tribal women still prefer to wear traditional clothes that are adorned with silver ornaments. Another major difference that many people spoke about is the value of dowry given to the bride. In the past, anything from SR5,000 to SR10,000 was acceptable. These days, dowries range from SR35,000 to SR100,000, which puts a huge burden on the groom and his family as they are also responsible for covering the costs of renting marriage halls and paying for all related expenses. “We used to give a few thousand riyals to the bride, slaughter a few goats and everyone went home happy. These days, girls aren’t happy when they receive tens of thousands of riyals, not to mentions the dozens of goats and camels that are sacrificed to feed guests on the day of the wedding. Guests are even served fruits and sweets, something that was rare during my day,” added Najma."