A Syrian wedding

Omar is a young Syrian man in his late 20s. He lives in the north of England, near Manchester, with his parents. He works as a mechanic. Salima is a young Syrian woman in her early 20s and studies primary teaching at university. She lives in Glasgow with her parents. They speak on the phone every day for hours. They like many of the same things, for example, both like to read and watch films. They are in love and want to get married.

The fathers and uncles of the bride and groom discuss the marriage. They also discuss the dowry for the bride and a marriage contract between the two young people. They agree and shake hands.

Before the wedding, Omar's father plans a small stag party for him. At the stag party there's lots of dancing, music, and singing. Omar's friends are happy for him, and Omar is excited to get married.

Salima has a small hen party with her friends, mother and sisters. They look at the wedding dress and try on make-up. They sing traditional songs and listen to Arabic music.

In July, the groom's family hire a hall in the town for the wedding. At the wedding, the groom climbs on his friend's shoulders and all the men sings songs called arada and clap hands. There is a lot of dancing and singing. Some of Omar's English friends don't understand the Arabic songs but Omar's uncle tries to teach them the words. They repeat the words but find them difficult to pronounce. Everyone laughs and they have lots of fun!

There is a pretend sword fight. The bride and groom walk under the swords. They both sign the marriage contract, and everyone is happy.