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| Customes of Mauritania |
| Ceremonies |
| Rituels en Mauritanie |
| Henna
As in numerous Muslim countries, henna possesses a number of virtues. The women (and occasionally men) design varying motifs in henna on their hands and ankles – a ceremony, which can take several hours. This ancestral tradition has different significations.
• Protection and treatment against disease
• A symbol of love
• A sign of beauty worn like jewellery on special occasions.
A séance of henna may be offered to you during your voyage. Don’t hesitate to accept this friendly gesture.
Tea Ceremony
“Green tea arrived from China in the 15th century in the holds of the Portuguese sailing ships, and was later adopted by the Moors who drank it with a passion. In the 19th century an emir demanded that his subjects give him a bowl of tea each day. Since then, tea has been the reigning master in the Sahara and the object of a veritable liturgy. The officiant places in front of him, the multicoloured teapot, tiny glasses, surrounded by the respect given by us to the ciborium, blocks of sugar protected by their packaging - as a Moor proverb says: “like the veil of a young wife” - and mint (the best is ‘nan de bogue’) taken from a damp cloth to prevent it flowering.”
“The art of the tea is to produce froth. In this respect, tea brimming with froth, honours with dignity, the guest. From where has this ancestral gesture originated, of pouring boiling liquid from glass to glass, right hand held high to heighten the froth and repeated as often as deemed necessary? A series of three rituals follow: the first tea is as “bitter as the life”, the second, a little sweeter, is as “gentle as l’amour”, and the third, syrupy, is as “sweet as the death”. One or two sips at a time to reheat the heart. The word “ sip” means everything. The Moors speak of the “three J’s” of tea: Jar (slow), Jamar (glow), Jmaa (the group).”
Extract from “Randonnee dans l’Erg Makteir with La Balaguere” by Jean-Pierre Langellier
If you are invited to drink tea, accept the invitation. If you refuse, you will be seen in a bad light. Furthermore, if you do not stay the time it takes to drink the tea, it will be as if you were never there. |
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