A Cultural Journey

Sometimes words aren’t really necessary – sometimes, pictures are enough. Shmulik is getting married soon. His future wife’s family comes from Iran – in Israel, they are referred to as Parsi – or Persian Jews. There is a custom among Parsi (and other Sephardic groups), to hold a henna before the wedding.

On my first trip to Israel, when I was 16, we were taken to a henna for Yemenite Jews. Part of the evening includes spreading a yellow-brown paste on your hand and leaving it for a few minutes – it stains the hand for a bit of time (I’ll let you know how long). They explained tonight – if you aren’t married, this will help you meet your intended; if you are married, it will increase your livelihood. Whatever the reason or result, it was an amazingly fun evening. Plus, it is always hard to get everyone together and get a picture. We didn’t totally succeed, but we got close.

So – a cultural journey, a mixing of traditions tonight – in pictures.

3 Comments

  1. OK, I give up on type pad

    My 3rd attempt!

    Your future DIL is gorgeous. The family pictures are great; you have lovely daughters and handsome sons, and I can almost identify everyone although I’ve only been reading your blogs a few days!

    Congratulations!

    Susannah

  2. May you be blessed! And Shmulik will now be introduced to more kinds of rice than you ever thought existed 🙂

    Big warm Sephardi families rock–been married to one for over 25 years!

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