I will say right away that it is difficult to get married in Egypt. But you can. And the main problem is not at all the search for your soul mate. The thing is different – to start a family, an Egyptian guy needs to earn a lot. After all, his wife will depend on the amount that he is ready to “invest” in the family.
Of course, there are exceptions when a guy and a girl from wealthy families meet, say, at the university, meet, get married, and, with the support of their parents, live comfortably. But since in general the level of wealth in Egypt is below average, the average guy has to wait a very long time to accumulate the amount necessary for the family. In addition, due to constant work, a young man practically does not have the opportunity to meet girls. His friends, relatives, and matchmakers are busy looking for brides.
Most of all in Egypt, bankers and doctors of private clinics earn. The latter have a salary of 500-600 dollars, while the state employees have 200. Working as a bartender, waiter or guide, you can earn from 100 to 200 dollars a month. Imagine how much you need to work to save up a few thousand dollars for a wedding (they won’t give you a bride for a smaller amount).
So, while a young man earns money, for example, they send him photos of suitable girls via Viber (yes, that’s how Muslim traditions are intertwined with modern technologies). If one of them liked, an “accidental” date is arranged. But this is by no means a romantic dinner. In a predetermined place, for example, in a cafe, a young man seems to accidentally meet a girl. She sits at the table not alone, but with a “matchmaker”. The guy approaches them, gets acquainted with the girl, they communicate on neutral topics. Later, each of them expresses his opinion about the other. If there is mutual sympathy – excellent, then a real date follows, if not, then this is where it all ends.
By the way, a very important nuance, already during the first date, or even before it, the guy should know whether his potential bride is a virgin or not. Of course, innocence is valued. But even if the girl had sexual relations, and this does not bother the guy, then there will be a wedding. And if the girl lied, she can go to divorce.
Hani Amir/flickr.com
Egyptian guys and girls don’t meet for a long time: after a few dates, if everything suits everyone, the guy goes to the girl’s house to meet his parents and start talking about the wedding. During this event, all i’s are usually dotted. Sometimes the groom before the engagement may not even see the face of the bride, since the girl was in a veil all the time. And only on this day, he can evaluate the appearance of his beloved
At the engagement, the groom should present the bride with a valuable gift – a shabka. These are usually gold jewelry. But the holiday itself (such as mini-wedding) is paid for by the bride’s parents. From the date of the engagement to the wedding, it can take several months or several years. It all depends on how quickly the young man will have the money for which he will be given the bride.
By the way, the price of a bride is directly proportional to her appearance and social level. If she is young, beautiful, has a good education, before that she had no relationship with anyone, then her parents ask a lot for such a girl (the amount is measured in tens of thousands of dollars). But a divorced woman who does not have enviable external data is given much cheaper.
Before the wedding, the newlyweds draw up a marriage contract, which clearly states who contributed how much to the future family: what the groom bought (usually an apartment or a house), the bride (she can buy some household items in the house), the size of the mahr (the amount that the groom pays for the bride) and much (the amount that the husband pays during a divorce). Only after the signing of this contract is an official marriage.
By the way, an interesting fact: Muslim men wear wedding rings on their left hand. And these rings (as well as chains, bracelets) are made in silver, since Egyptian men believe that gold affects male power. Only Copts (Orthodox Egyptians) and women wear gold rings.
In a word, marrying an Egyptian girl is not so easy. This is probably why many Egyptians are not averse to marrying a Slavic girl. By the way, Egyptians are allowed to have multiple wives. But such pleasure is available only to very wealthy men. When I asked our guide: “How do several wives live in one apartment?”, He replied with a smile: “These are women, they don’t want to share either a man or an apartment.” Therefore, those Egyptians who want to have several wives must provide each with a living space.
