The First Gnostic Monotheist Religion Traditional wedding
The Mandaean (الصابئة)
The First Gnostic Monotheist religion
A living history
By Amani
This article highlights two wedding facts that are nice and interesting to know about. The first fact that I have chosen for you, does not follow the regular discipline known in the Arabic weddings and the second fact is from the oblivion.
Weddings in
the region known as 'the Arab World' that extends from Morocco in North Africa
to Turkey and the Middle East, has almost the same wedding discipline, from the
negotiation between both families of the “fiancés” to the trousseau, the
gold, the Henna night then finally to
the wedding day that ends with the 'consummation night' or The Honeymoon.
The Mandaean: a
living History Traditional Wedding
Rare are
the people or groups who have deviated from this discipline. A minority called the Mandaean, who
prefer to call it a religious group, have made this exception! (The DNA
research revealed that people of the region are almost all of the same ethnic
race that has existed for thousands of years.)
The
specification of this group is not only due to the subject
of the wedding but also because they belong to the first Gnostic Monotheist
religion on earth, Al - Mandaeyya, as it is spelled in Arabic. Their traditions are much older than those of the Jewish
religion.
Historically found in "the Arab world" region , this religion would have been called by different names such as 'Al Dine al Hanife' religion and many others.
Today, they
live in Iraq and Iran. The Mandaean were brought by the current diaspora to
various countries around the world.
They are the followers of Adam the Prophet, Adam and his wife Eve.
They are considered a living history. Many believe that Adam and his wife Eve were the first human beings on Earth, however Adam is the first prophet on Earth and is the father of the bloodline of the prophets (all prophets belong to the same bloodline) . Different races of Human beings would have been living at that time when a prophet came to teach them the knowledge
Their Holy
Book called 'Kanza Rabba' means 'The Great Treasure' is composed of
the journals of the prophet ADAM.
Later, they followed other prophets: Seth son of Adam, Enoch son of Seth, Noah, Shem
son of Noah, Abraham and John the Baptist.
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| A young man wearing the ritual costume praying on the strand of the river |
The Mandaean New Year is on the 17th of July of each year. This year 2016/2017, they have celebrated:
•
Adam New Year 445385
•
John the Baptist New Year 2059
Yes, their ancestors would have been of the first groups who believed in GOD, the Creator of the Universe, and have preserved their belief until today. While indeed other folks would have continued the path (converted) to other monotheist religions that came later, they can be today Christians or Muslims or Jews.
Just a small notification, the list of prophets is very long. We've had 124,000 prophets, Mohamad is the last.
Known as 'Mandaeyya' or 'Al Sabi’a, they have preserved their cultural, social and language heritage, so their religion goes back to the time of Adam and Eve- for thousands and thousands of years. Mandaeyya is a noun derived of the Syriac Aramaic accent 'Manda' which means 'The Knowledge' also "the salvation". Anyhow, if no knowledge no salvation.
Al Sabi’a in Arabic is 'Sabagha' that is mentioned in Koran. It refers to the repeated religious Washing Rite they have as a fundamental element to achieve purification and forgiveness. It is a representation of the creation and the beginning of life: a new birth. It is to help the soul ascent to the Light world.
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| Beautiful Mandaean ladies in their religious costumes |
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| Celebrating a religious day holding the Myrtle sprigs between their fingers |
Practice is
as follows: Five times a day a small wash before praying. A big washing
-similar to baptism called 'Tamasha' - would take place in the river or at any
flowing water on religious days.
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| Small Wash before praying |
 |
| Big Wash similar to baptism |
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| Beautiful Mandaean Youths |
Their
marriage Rites follow same steps as Adam and Eve marriage, they say.
The first
step is to check the virginity of the bride by some females that are relatives
to the 'kanzabra', the big priest at the 'Mandy' which is similar to a church and preferably on a Sunday, the
sacred day. (I doubt that a similar act takes place anymore)
If the girl
passed the examination then big zaghreets resounded to signal that the wedding
would still take place. Afterwards the dowry that the groom would give to the
bride’s mother, which would be delivered to the bride later, would be fixed as
an amount. The wedding date would than be set.
Today, the
Mandaean offer a real wedding party on Saturday nights. The bride wears her
bridal modern gown and the groom his wedding suit.
During the
'Tamasha', the 'Tarmida' would put a small sprig of Myrtle on the head of the
person as a symbol of blessing, prosperity and fertility. Afterward the groom
moved to his skeletal tent made of bamboo to meet the 'Kanzabra', the High
Priest.
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| The Groom in his tent. Below the green belt we can see the cotton belt |
Bamboo is
the symbol of virility. The priest asks the groom to be a good husband, to treat
well his wife, to be a good father and to avoid alcohol.
After some
prayers the High Priest and the groom would move to the tent of the bride which
would be made of white silk. Silk is the
symbol of femininity. White is the symbol of the pureness.
By this
time bread, almonds, dried grapes, nuts, etc would be distributed to the
invitees as a blessing.
The grooms
would sit 'back to back' in the bride’s tent as a sign of body union. The
priest put a sprig of Myrtle on the head of the bride. Then, he would knock the back of their heads
together as a sign of union of thoughts and of spirit.
 |
| The groom with the Highest Priest " Kanzabra" joining the bride at her white tent |
When it was
done the groom would release the cotton belt of the bride and the bride would
release the cotton belt of the groom as a sign of the beginning of a new
marital life.
Then, Henna
party would start. Everybody would have “henna” dough on his thumb as a
blessing.
End of the
Mandaean traditional marriage story.
Honeymoon, in the
oblivion
This story has
nothing to do with the previous part of the article, it is an independent
traditional history
What many
don't know about, especially the new generation, is the honeymoon 'discipline'.
'Honeymoon' in Arabic is literally so called 'The honey month'. This naming didn’t come from a void but it
was really a 'month of honey'.
In the past
the grooms’ honeymoon would have taken place in the same village and mostly at
the bridal house or in a separate room at the groom family house.
Honeymoon
started as of the consummation night. Virginity was not a debate in the past as
a proof of the bride’s purity. The first day the bride would be taken care of
by her mother- in- law and her daughters or relatives. A large variety of food
for breakfast was delivered to the grooms room. After morning Shower the groom had
to leave the house till late afternoon, accompanied by youths only, while the
bride would stay at home relaxing and welcoming guests. No work was permitted.
Every day
had a new plan ... The first day was a special day for the bride. A ritual
celebration took place to welcome her in her first day as a woman. Evening time all youth and parents would
gather for a celebration and cooking. This routine would remain for a time
period lasting up to a month - literally called 'A Honey Month'
Afterward
the bride would go back to work, to her normal life and to her duties if she
was not pregnant. If pregnant, she would be pampered to achieve a sane
pregnancy period as the first pregnancy is the most sensitive and the base for
future ones too.
It could be
the case that in our ancestors’ wisdom the bride 'defloration' is a sensitive matter
physically and psychologically for the woman.
This time period was to keep the bride safe from any exceeded sexual
contact until she is strong and the relaxation helped to increase her
fertility. A month was enough to make sure that she would get pregnant.
End of
'Honeymoon, in the oblivion'
Every time I review those traditions I realize how far modern societies have become removed from their ancestors wisdom and mentality. For thousands of years traditions have been preserved through generations and in less than one hundred years all have faded out…
English Text amended by Audrey Marie Doherty
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