Emir’s blog

My first blog from Tunisia, and from my new laptop (more on this when I finally mastered it). Main purpose of the visit: My cousins wedding. Tunisian weddings are a fairly complicated event compared to the western thing, spawning over a few weeks with many different steps and ceremonies. I arrived right in time for the last leg culminating in a final reception.

Little did I know I had to play a key part in the ceremony. This last leg, called mirouah (the return) consists in having the groom driven to the brides house, take her to the reception, and then back to his house. Of course, all this in an all decorated car followed by a parade of horning and flashing cars, and at each location deafened by music, blinded by flashes, and maintaining a smile. Tradition dictates that only allowed in the lead car are the groom, bride, mother of the bride and a close friend (generally the owner of the car). My dads car, an African dictator style Mercedes Class E was the one being picked, and I was somehow talked into driving it. The afternoon was spent getting the car cleaned up and pampered with flowers and ribbons.

And then the satisfaction of driving in front of a parade of 30 odd cars making as much noise as possible. Thinking we used to do this on camels… Happy rest of life to Mohammed and Nassima.