The culture of a country is an integral part of its society whether it is a remote village in China or a highly industrialized city in Western Europe. Basically, culture is reflected in a country's language, literature, art, music, and dance. However, culture also includes the patterned ways in which people conduct themselves in their relationships with others. Many changes have taken place in Mauritanian life. Weddings in Mauritania have different alternatives to choose from: a traditional wedding and a modern wedding. In addition, both ways have the same solid and unchanging wedlock principles.
First of all, in spite of the differences between traditional and modern weddings, Mauritania's wedding has the same wedlock principles. First, bridegroom and bride should have already experienced each other. They have a keen interest in their marriage; they exchange love. Secondly, another important step toward getting married is that the bride should be engaged to the bridegroom. It means that the bridegroom promises to the bride's parents that he will marry their daughter. Thirdly, the main and significant step of marriage is that the bride's parents receive the dowry (money brought/given by a bridegroom). Therefore, an imam (the leader of prayers at the Mosque) has to attend in order to make or to complete the wedlock process; he has to read four or five lines of the Holy Book (Koran). These steps are concerned firmly in Mauritanian life.
Some Mauritanian families used to celebrate their weddings in a traditional way. So both bride groom and bride have to dress up in ancient clothes, imitating their ancestors. Therefore, bridegroom wears white clothes and black turban. Bride wears her black veil and arranged head (hair). For their parents, relatives and friends should meet at night. They exchange traditional poems, praising the tribes of the couple. Moreover, they listen to different traditional music cassettes on a tape recorder.
As a result of the impact of modernization on Mauritanian culture, the vast majority of families tend to celebrate their wedding in modern ways. Therefore, a couple should spend at least one long week celebrating and enjoying their wedding in a special manner. Immediately, after the wedlock, they have to wear wedding dress. Bride wears her black veil and her face should be covered and her hair also has to be arranged. Bridegroom wears his white clothes and black turban. Unlike traditional weddings, a great party should be held in a common place. So, a famous singer, such as Dimi or Oulieya, will be invited to sing at the ceremony. Hence, uncountable number of relatives and the couple's friends gather. Some of them clap and make sounds. Others dance among them always couple's friends and relatives. Before the end of the ceremony, the attendees (friends, parents, relatives) have their wedding cake (meal). But, for the couple, they have it only after the ceremony. Moreover, certain places (hotels, lacazÂ…) become very special way of enjoying and relaxing for the couple. So, modern weddings gained popularity when people began to think more seriously about their financial well-being. And, it continues to expand rapidly all over the country.
It is clear that although there are some important similarities between traditional weddings and modern weddings, there are significant differences as well. The extent to which modern weddings have accepted some aspects of traditional culture reveals the country's desire to absorb new customs. Indeed, the cultural exchanges of traditional and modern weddings have benefited both ways of celebrating weddings dramatically and will continue to do so in the future.
Finally, the most important difference is that traditional customs are still largely observed. In fact, surprisingly, many young people still prefer an arranged marriage, in which a couple meets through the combined efforts of parents and friends of relatives. By comparison, in modern weddings young people always seek their own marriage partners.