I was sitting on my bed at the Noorhan Hotel in Aswan, Egypt, sitting in silence trying to ponder my earlier Pharaonic expeditions at Abu Simbel and Philae when a loud thunder of drum beats, chanting and shrieking cries rang through the rickety window.
Stepping onto the balcony it soon became evident that a local Nubian wedding was taking place 2 houses down. The wedding precession consisted of about 50 people, 15 of them being part of a drumming band of dancers. The bride and groom as well as a few others in brightly colored outfits entered the house as the band took a break to smoke some cigarettes. 15 minutes later, the couple emerged from the the house, street dancing into a crowd of bystanders and the band.
They precession slowly made their way down the small street, eventually boarding a minivan for the next phase of their wedding.
When I paid my $4 for a bed in Aswan, Egypt, I had no idea it would include a free viewing of a traditional Nubian wedding ceremony!
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When you check into you next hotel in Egypt, hopefully you will get a free Nubian wedding ceremony included!
– Migration mark
Photo: Ancient Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Karnak
Photo Favorite: Juggling a Football in Traditional Egyptian Clothes
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Cam
13 years ago
Very cool that you were able to witness that! We had a similar experience in Luxor when we were there. The parties lasted for days!
Mark Wiens
13 years ago
@Ayngelina: Thanks!
@Kat: Haha, not quite! Yes, things like this are awesome to see in person!
@Zablon: Yes, it was amazing and colorful. What part of Egypt did you see a wedding?
@Inka: Yes, I wanted to follow the wedding to experience the after party too!
@Ben: Cool, this Egyptian wedding was so cool for the energy involved!
@Laurel: Yes, the dancing, drumming and singing were a great sight to experience.
@Adam: I am with you on that! All kinds of festivals are so interesting to see around the world!
@Robin: Thanks, Yes…Egypt is a wonderful country!
@Caz: Very cool, It’s interesting to compare different ceremonies in different countries. I’m sure that was an amazing ceremony in Sumatra!
Caz Makepeace
13 years ago
It’s always so great stumbling upon things like this. I remember on my first travel adventure being invited to a Muslim wedding in a small village in Sumutra, Indonesia. It was an incredible experience.
Robin
13 years ago
Some great shots there. God I love Egypt…
Adam
13 years ago
Awesome thing to have witnessed. I love just stumbling across things like this while on the road. Weddings, festivals, parades, I love them all, and it’s so cool to see how differently it’s done all over the world.
Laurel @Expat in Germany
13 years ago
Amazing! I’ve heard that weddings there are a big production, but I can only imagine what it would be like to experience it in person!
adventureswithben
13 years ago
How cool is that! I was in South Africa once and came across a South African wedding, it was much like a U.S. Wedding, nothing compared to what you ran into.
inka
13 years ago
What a stroke of luck. I love watching weddings in foreihn countries and yes, i admit, for a moment I too thought it was you tying the knot.
Zablon Mukuba
13 years ago
i have seen a wedding in Egypt, it was really amazing and colorful. i hope you enjoyed it
Kat
13 years ago
For a moment there, I thought you were the one getting married haha.
It’s always interesting to encounter things like these. 🙂
ayngelina
13 years ago
What a cool thing to experience, great photos.