When “to Welcome” Is “to Take” and “to Give Back” Is “to Release”
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The bride, chosen by the mother of her husband-to-be, is ritually welcomed by her on the last night of the wedding ceremonies, at the house of the groom, whom she has just met. This welcome is made permanent by proof of the bride’s virginity in the three days following the wedding night. During this time, the mother-in-law takes full possession of the young woman’s body, of the labor she will do, and of the children who will be born from this union, ritually welcoming each of her grandchildren as soon as they come out of hospital. This ritual separation from the mother is confirmed during the “tying to the cradle” ritual a few days later and reaffirmed by taking a lock of their hair on their first birthday. The ritual metaphorically marks the authority of the mother-in-law over her daughter-in-law as the children are then under the complete authority of their paternal grandmother. It is not until fifteen years later that the mother-in-law gives back all the presents the young woman gave to her husband’s lineage, thus marking her release. After that, the young woman enjoys a certain emancipation from her mother-in-law, who will offer her gold jewelry, a turban, and a traditional gown worthy of the One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. The “tying of the turban” ritual allows the daughter-in-law to assume some authority—denied her until now—over her own children as well as to choose her sons’ spouses and, in her turn, become a mother-in-law.
Réseaux sociaux