African Culture

  • Henna Celebration

    After the purification, the next ceremony the bride participates in is the “Hennaya”. This is when a professional Moroccan Henna Artist, draws symbolic motifs on the hands and feet of the bride, her friends and relatives, with Henna. Henna is a plant which produces natural dyes that are used for body painting. Henna is considered…

  • Hammam Celebration

    Two days before the wedding, the bride undergoes some form of purification by going to a sauna with her female friends and relatives. This is called the “Hammam” day. The  has her hair washed with a type of clay called ghassoul while her body is scrubbed, massaged, perfumed, and waxed. The Hammam is an important…

  • Traditional Moroccan Wedding: 11 Things To Note

    1. The Moroccan marriage usually begins without any “ceremony” attached. The bride and groom sign the marriage contract in the presence of witnesses from the bride and groom’s side. This paperwork continues in the mosque, where they sign more papers in the presence of the Imam (Cleric). Formally and legally, the bride and groom are…

  • What is a Kikoi?

    A Kikoi or Kikoy is a rectangular woven cloth, popular in East Africa, especially in Kenya and Tanzania, used as a sarong (wrapper) or shawl. The word Kikoi in Kiswahili simply means ” something to wrap around you”. This 100% cotton cloth which was introduced by the Arabian businessmen who came to East Africa, has…

  • What is the Fugu Cloth?

    Fugu means cloth in Moshie language in Ghana. The Moshies who migrated from Burkina Faso to settle in Northern Ghana, were the ones who brought in this fabric. It is also known as Bingba or Batakari in other parts of Ghana. The fugu fabric is made from cotton threads woven on simple hand looms into…