By: Amots Dafni and Saleh Akel Khativ
In the Arab village, as in many other events, it is customary to visit a holy tomb as part of the wedding ceremonies. Visiting the groom at the grave site or cooking food for weddings nearby is considered a virtue because the saint blesses the groom. Such preparation ceremonies, in local variations, were also held in the second half of the 20th century, when in each village emphasis is placed on one or another aspect of the ceremony.
Several sacred trees in the Lower Galilee bear the name "Am al-Orsan" (mother of the bridegrooms), "Shajarat al-Orsan" (the tree of the grooms) or "Shajarat al-Arusa" (the bride's tree) indicating that they are the center of wedding ceremonies. Near Ma'ale Tzveya, in the lower Galilee, stands a common oak named Sheik Mahmoud, who once knew better days. The Bedouins in the Nahal Zalmon area used to hold ceremonies under it and according to the evidence: "Until the 60s (in the XNUMXth century). They would hold ceremonies under the tree of the groom's haircut and shaving on the wedding day, and for that they would come from all the villages in the area. They would hold a party, play music, sing and eat and extend At the end of the ceremony, the groom would be waved and then mats would be brought under the tree And carpets and that's where the ceremony was held."
In the exact same area, we heard a slightly different version of the course of the ceremony: "They used to hold a zapa (the ceremony of preparing the groom for his canopy) under the tree. They took the groom with all the young men and had a party for him. The whole tribe would gather under the tree. They brought him the special clothes on a tray, brought water In the pot, the men formed a wall around the groom, bathed him and dressed him under the tree horse racing competitions".
In the Bedouin village of Hajajara near Tivon, there is a tabor oak tree called "Shajarat al Arsan" (tree of the bridegrooms), which today does not attract any attention nor is it tall compared to the other oaks of its kind found in the vicinity. Until the 80s, the groom was prepared under it for the wedding. The zapa ceremony included henna on the wedding night. On the wedding day, before noon, the groom would be dressed and marched in a procession with the men clapping their hands at the head, followed by the women with the groom. The Choirs would accompany the groom from his house to the holy tree on a fixed route. The actual ceremony was held near the tree and included dancing and singing and lasted about two to three hours. According to the local belief, whoever celebrates near the tree on his wedding day will be happy in married life; And if the ceremony does not take place under the tree - the couple will separate.
In the village of Jeth, it was customary to accompany a groom who arrived at his party in a procession through the entire village, with all the guests and poets. At the end of the procession they would come to the oak tree of Sheikh Aros, and there, in the square in front of the tree, the groom would sit to be blessed. There they would bring refreshments and drinks. They used to stay under the tree for a long period of time, which was dedicated to singing and then they would return to the groom's house, and then they would go and bring the bride from her parents' house to the groom's house.
These ceremonies were held under the tree to receive the blessing of the saint to whom the tree is dedicated, and sometimes simply due to the magnificent shade of the tree being carried. Today these ceremonies are rare, but occasionally one can observe, even today, such a wedding, for example under the mighty jujube of Sheikh Rabis above the village of Ma'ar.
In the village of Ma'ar we found two customs related to the wedding and sacred trees. to "preserve the life of the couple"
Take a piece of cloth from the groom's clothes and a piece from the bride's clothes, tie them together and place them on the tree. On the same tree you can see a pair of nails connected by a white thread: one nail for the groom and another for the bride. The fuse connects them to ensure unity and domestic peace, and the nail itself is a virtue for asking for a blessing. It is also customary to tie cloths to a sacred tree in honor of the groom and the bride. You take a piece of cloth from the groom's clothes and a piece of cloth from the bride's clothes, tie them together and hang them on the tree as a virtue "to protect the life of the couple", also hang a blue garment as a virtue for the white man and a pink garment as a virtue for the daughter.
This custom of holding a wedding in the shade of a sacred tree is not unique to our region or to a particular religion. On the contrary, it is a worldwide custom. In India, the bride and groom used to surround a mango tree (which is considered a sacred tree) as a condition for the marriage ceremony to be performed properly, and they often used to hold weddings in sacred groves. In Shropshire, England, in the 17th century, there was a sacred tree that was known as the "bride tree". The new bride in the village would receive a branch from the tree as a virtue to ensure fertility.
Similar customs are also known from Africa. According to Greek mythology, the wedding of Zeus and Hera took place under a sacred tree - to teach us that there is nothing new under the sun - or the tree.