Salam Alaikum!

I am a Muslim male intending to
marry a Moroccan girl. I've visited Morocco too to
meet her and her family. We met on the internet
and after 4 months of contact,

I visited her last
month. We're not yet "officially" engaged but like
each other overall. Can someone from Morocco
please tell me something more about Moroccan girls
and their cultural norms. I mean what is it that
they expect from their fiances, whats considered
acceptable, whats recommended, whats not accepted
etc. Is it natural in Moroccan culture for females
to *ask* for money/gifts from their fiance's? What
are your cultural norms regarding the guy spending
on the girl.

Its not that I don't like to spend,
but I just want to be sure its a Moroccan cultural
norm and is natural there, coz for me thats just
very odd for a girl to *ask* a guy for money/gifts
before marriage, even if she is engaged to him.

Actually I love spending money and gifting friends
and family and my intentions with her are no
different.

Just that I find it strange that I
haven't had the chance to do by myself, except for
the sweets and chocolates that I bought for her
when I visited her house for the first time.

Is it
maybe coz girls like to show off their gifts to
their friends?

Or is it just coz its natural and
she thinks I might not be aware of the culture of
gifting in Arabs, so shes just helping me along?
Is it coz she's become overly attached and is
already "treating" me like a husband? Any help
from any Moroccans will be much appreciated.

In our culture /
custom / tradition
the man pays
everything meaning
the wedding, dress,
cake, gold, dresses
and also gives the
bride dowry.

However, from what
we understand from
him is that the
bride actually pays
or at least a big
share. Is this
correct? In our
culture the woman
never pays except
when she has no
pride or she has
lost her virtue.

A
woman who pays is
concidered as
dammaged, she either
has a physical
defect or she has
lost her virginity
or something else.

She then accepts
that man and ask for
nothing or a very
low amount and in
most cases doesn't
even have wedding
party.

Please I do
not want to offend
or insult anyone I
am just asking and
simultaneously
giving a short
background info on
the Moroccan
culture.

Moroccan Marriage, Dating

 We were invited to a wedding of a nephew in
Morocco. The bride was carried through the streets
from the home of her family, to the home of her
new family. The men wearing the Fez are no longer
eunichs, as would have been traditional. Usually
the entire affair is quite expensive. It starts
with the paying of a dowry that is spent on
household items and furniture for the bride. The
bride also receives golden jewelry and is sent
presents of cloth, clothing and perfume from her
groom every feast day. The courtship period can
last from six months to two years. Five days
before the matrimonial event, necessities such as
a mattress and blanket are taken to the bridal
chamber. There the bride is given a bath in hammam
which is a sort of milk bath that is meant to
purify the bride. Her negaffa (female attendants)
will usually supervise the event. The negaffa
female friends and relatives - then set about
trying to beautify her. After dressing her in an
elaborately decorated wedding kaftan (usually
white) they proceed to decorate her with heavy
jewelry and darken her eyes with kohl which looks
a bit like thick dark eyeliner. The group then
proceeds to have a beberiska ceremony in which the
hands and feet of the bride and her party are
painted with henna. The bride's designs are always
the most intricate and the various floral and
geometric designs are meant to ward off evil
spirits, bring good luck and increase fertility.
The grooms name is often hidden in the henna
designs. The negaffa will usually take this
opportunity to discuss the 'secrets' of marriage
with the young virgin In some ceremonies the bride
will then be placed behind a curtain to symbolize
her change of lifestyle. Often, a bride is not
expected to do any house work until her henna has
faded. In past traditional ceremonies,the groom
would leave to make his way towards the bridal
party accompanied by a group of friends who sing,
beat drums and dance. The bride would be lifted up
on a circular cushion or table and the groom on
the shoulders of his friends. The two would then
be carried to the bridal chamber where they would
be expected to consummate their marriage. The
bridal party would then examine their sheets for
signs of blood to confirm the bride's virginity.
The two would journey to their new home and the
bride would circle her home three times before
becoming the keeper of her new hearth.