The Wedding Community

With a Tanzania Muslim Wedding, the groom and his entourage (father, uncle and brothers) will approach the bride’s family to make their intentions known. The bride will be informed of the proposal, if she accepts the proposal she names her conditions and what she wants as the bridal price. When the groom agrees to the conditions given by the bride the wedding plans start.

The bride is appointed a sumo who is the bride’s mother’s best friend. The sumo accompanies the bride everywhere until the day of the wedding. The sumo performs all beauty treatments of the bride, hair, makeup and nails, . Bride's hands and feet are decorated with "mehdi" or "henna" tattoos. Perfumed oils are smeared on the brides body and she wears beautiful jewellery.

After the wedding the sumo prepares the bed for the couple, she places aromatic petals on the bed and makes sure the room is in a proper state for the new couple. This ends her duties as a sumo, the groom will then pay her an agreed fee for her troubles.

Usually most of the weddings would be organized during shawwal which is the tenth month of the lunar Islamic calendar.