Jirtig – A Sudanese Wedding Ceremony

Title photo, screenshot from Sudania 24’s report on jirtig rituals.

This is the first of two brief TV reports on the unique wedding rituals of the Sudanese jirtig ceremony. The two-minute Sudania 24 report below is in standard Arabic, is dense in descriptive vocabulary and refers to many Sudanese dialect terms for elements of the jirtig. The second short report, which will be included next week, is a colloquial Sudanese commentary on the jirtig by a stall holder at a jirtig festival in Khartoum. As well as describing more detailed and surprising aspects of the ceremony, she speculates on the future of this tradition.

If you are not familiar with this remarkable and ancient ritual, the report provides an overview of the key elements. What names for clothes and talismanic adornments central to the ceremony can you catch? What do we learn about the jirtig tray, the jirtig rope bed and the milk used in the ceremony? If you are familiar with the jirtig, what elements are missing from this report?

If you would like to know more about this fascinating ritual, its alleged origins or read historical accounts of the jirtig, see https://womensliteracysudan.blog/2019/05/22/anointing-in-red-and-gold/ At the end of the blog, you can find more details on the jirtig.

Above, screenshot from this report. Red, gold and blue are both protective and propitious in the jirtig rituals.

Lexical Focus

If you would like to learn the terms for many of the jirtig elements described in the report, try labelling the photo below as you listen and watch. What term is used for the bride’s glittering headdress? What is the name for the special robe worn by the bridegroom? What gold symbol is shared by both bride and groom?

You will hear several expressions related to omens and talismans as well as descriptive words for bright, sparkling and beaded adornments.

Below, the bride and groom, sit before the jirtig tray.

Many more terms for elements of the jirtig ritual are explained in https://womensliteracysudan.blog/2019/05/22/anointing-in-red-and-gold/

Elements not mentioned in this report are the prayer beads worn by the groom (sibHA yusr) and red and gold covering which drapes the bride (garmasis).

Watch the Report here:

Transcript

Transcript and Notes

• 1 a talisman (tamiinah) of good omen (faa’l)
• 2 that the Sudanese turn to / point to …….
• 3 envy
• 4 The (evil) Eye
• 5 ….evil / malevolent spirits
• 6 a fundamental / basic pillar (literally, corner) ……..
• 7 marriage rituals / rites
• 8 ….(expressing) wishes and broad hopes for the abundance of prosperity (money) and children. This echoes the Sudanese wedding refrain, in sha’ Allah maal wa `ayaal – may God give you prosperity and children.
• 9 ….literally; corners, meaning the color red, the official color for the jirtig ceremony, is to be found everywhere
• 10 …. yatamarrada; literally; to be in rebellion against / mutiny; the idea is that traditional Sudanese dress/ costume successfully counters the dominance of the (western) wedding dress.
• 11 This is one of several terms used for the special headdress worn by the bride in this ceremony (see below), consisting of a black thread mesh (adorned with) crescent shaped golden beads. The word is also used for men’s prayer caps.
• 12 ….beads
• 13 literally; boasts / shows off; perhaps here, takes pride of place in his …../ proudly wears
• 14 This is the term for the ceremonial robe worn by the bridegroom.
• 15…. bearing a shining, sparkling sword
• 16 …and on his forehead glisters/ sparkles a gold crescent (see below for more details), tied to a handkerchief
• 17 The traditional Sudanese rope bed is placed in the direction of the qibla (the direction in which Muslims pray)
• 18 (the bed and its jirtig tray) embodies a (fundamental) feature
• 19 idealogical feature
• 20 …a wide big tray with wooden utensils and …
• 21 ..vessel
• 22 …spray (verb)
• 23 ….sprays / droplets of blessings
• 24 good / joyful tidings (bushra) …and sweets and dates are exchanged.
• 25 literally; glides …. the narrator evokes the heady atmosphere of the celebrations as incense mingles with the scents of Sudanese perfumes and traditional Sudanese wedding songs are sung to the rhythmic drumming of the daluukah.
• 26 a traditional wedding refrain
• 27 rhythmic
• 28 ……. yearning / longing (shooq) to all bright dreams
• 29 reviving intense feelings (literally; zeal, fervor)
• 30 …which causes the palm beamed roofs to shake / reverberate
• 31 the heat / warmth of the clapping (literally; palms) and ululations of joy (zaghaariid)

More details