FEBRUARY 2021

Khugga
Dance
Traditional Chaldean Weddings
BY DR. ADHID MIRI
To reflect and connect with the
past, it is necessary to shine a
spotlight on the marriages
that took place in the old farming
villages in the Nineveh region of
Iraq. Marriages often took place at a
young age, usually thirteen to fifteen.
The young groom would be assigned
a marriage counselor (“Serdouch” or
“Ustatha”/ leader or expert teacher)
very early in the preparation steps,
to in due course be taught the art of
love.
A newlywed couple would live
with the groom’s parents and grandparents
who had the ultimate say
in everything. There was no dating
those days and all marriages were prearranged
by the parents. After agreeing
to the terms, the groom family
would visit the bride frequently to
present her with gifts which almost
always included a gold cross. Most
people were poor farmers and could
not afford a dowry. The dowry (“Urkha”)
was equivalent to 100 Dinars
(three hundred dollars) and was demanded
by the bride-to-be’s family.
On occasion, the poor groom would
offer two chickens and a rooster as a
token of his love, hence coining the
term, “He is worth two chickens and
a rooster.”
Weddings took place early in the
day on a Sunday in the spring or
summer in the village. On the wedding
day, in route to the church, the
groom, his parents and his relatives
would go to the bride’s home on foot
in a big procession. The men were
in the front followed by the women,
singing and sounding (“Halahil”) accompanied
by the Zarna and Tabul
band.
One of the favorite parts of the
wedding traditions, the blocking of
the doorway, is managed by family
members of the bride as the bride
and groom are exiting the bride’s
house. A few young men would
block the bride in her bedroom and
stand guard to block the door, insisting
on getting paid in order to allow
the bride to leave her family’s home.
Typically, a male family member
from the bride’s side, in this role of
the “bouncer,” is the bride’s brother,
cousin, or younger male relative.
Sometimes there is only one bouncer
and other times there are a few who
partner together to get the job done.
As for who pays up,
this is dependent on the
family. Sometimes the
groom will pay off the
bouncer, other times it’s
the best man, and other
times it’s another family
member from the groom’s
side. The bride will come
out dressed in white and
walk in front of the ladies
toward the church for a
ceremony that requires
two witnesses.
After the ceremony the groom’s
sisters and relatives, along with the
bride, invite families and friends to
the festivities at the groom’s house.
On the way from church to the
groom’s house, the celebrants go
through the town streets and stop in
every corner to sing, drink and dance
to the tunes of the Zarna and Tabul.
Villages were small and everyone
participated in the festivities. Neighbors
stood at their doors with a tray
of sweets, jugs of cold water and a
bottle of Arak (a traditional homemade
drink) ready to pour. When
the wedding group passed a home
whose family had experienced a recent
tragedy or loss of a loved one,
the dancing and music would stop
out of respect.
Before the bride and groom could
Zarna Pipe Player
enter their new home, they had to
offer the men in the neighborhood a
chicken and two bottles of Arak. The
bride would be paraded around the
village sitting on a decorated horse
(the limo of those days) with a child
sitting in front and one behind her.
Her gifts and wedding accessories
(“Jihaz”) were mounted on a second
horse with a little girl astride, led by
an older man. They included pillows,
blankets, mattresses, bed sheets, and
dresses among other items.
The wedding festivities lasted
four days, with parties every night.
On the last night, a large pot of
Piqoota and chicken was served, signaling
to the guests that it’s time to
go home. The guests would sing the
finale: “Fill and fill our bottles and
cups…today we drink, tomorrow you
kick us out.”
On one special occasion, a
judge from Mosul (The Honorable
Ahmmed Al-Awqati) was invited to
a prominent wedding in the village
of Telkepe. This was his first experience
with such festivities and he
was asked to join the village priest
and family procession to church. He
was unaccustomed to the amount of
drinks consumed along the way and
told his son (and my life-long colleague),
Dr. Mamun Al-Awqati, that
CHALDEAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION
by the time they reached the church
he was drunk, the deacon was drunk,
the groom was drunk and above all,
the village priest was drunk. (The
groom was none other than a Southfield
Manor veteran, Faraj Sesi.)
Few things have changed since
then, and many similar festivities
continue in the United States.
Chaldean weddings are notorious
for always being a great time. From
dancing all night to the delicious
midnight snack, these weddings never
cease to amaze.
In the Chaldean culture, there
are several events and traditions
surrounding the actual wedding ceremony
and reception. First, before
any church ceremony, one tradition
that is very common is that the family
of the groom goes to the bride’s
house to “bring her” to her soon-tobe
husband. What happens during
this time is both families dance in
the house and streets, surrounding
the bride with joyful vibes.
The party starts at the bride’s
house which is filled with food,
drinks, music, dancing, and photography.
A traditional folklore band
called “Zarna & Tabul- Pipes &
Drums” typically plays music during
much of the party at the bride’s
home. This band will also accompany
the wedding party as they leave
her home and head to the limousine.
This pre-wedding party usually lasts
around two hours, with everyone
taking pictures with the bride.
Of course, the most important
part of any Chaldean wedding, besides
the amazing reception, is the
Catholic Church ceremony. After
the party at the bride’s home, guests
will head to the church for the wedding
ceremony (“Burakha”) with a
priest. The religious ceremony that
seals the couple’s bond is extremely
important in Chaldean culture. Typically,
the church that is chosen is
one that either of the families has attended
over the years, although this
is not always the case.
A Chaldean wedding ceremony
is filled with beautiful songs and
prayers to celebrate the joining the
bride and groom in the sacrament of
marriage. The priests sing traditional
Chaldean songs and say prayers in
Aramaic before eventually speaking
the vows and asking the bride and
groom to say, “I do.”
A golden crown is placed on the
bride and groom’s heads during the
wedding ceremony, signifying their
Chaldean traditions. The ceremo-
20 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2021