It is one of the oldest traditions in the Hijaz (part of western Saudi Arabia which includes Jeddah and Makkah) and is called ‘the Hijazi Majass.” It is the traditional Makkah wedding dance and songs. Many weddings follow the old traditional ways. The dance and songs are similar to other traditional Saudi dances such as Mezmar, Bahri also known as Simsemeya, Khibti, Ajal, the Saudi Ardah and the Habeya Ardah.
The Hijazi Majass begins when the family of the groom gathers outside the bride’s house before the wedding contract is signed. The jisseess (a singer) begins his performance with a song in normal, spoken colloquial language.
Usually, the jisseess is thanking God and praying for the bride and groom, wishing them a happy and successful married life. The jisseess will then sings praises of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In conclusion, the jisseess congratulates the groom and the bride’s family and then sings songs complimenting the groom. After Maghreb (sunset) prayer, the groom, escorted by all his family members and friends walk to the bride’s house. In the past, the escorts carried traditional lamps to light the groom’s way. These days, they carry the traditional lamps in acknowledgement of old tradition.
The escorts carry boxes on their heads; in the boxes are items of clothing, perfumes and pieces of candy given to the bride from the groom. When the groom arrives before the bride’s house, the jisseess begins the traditional song using colloquial language. The groom then enters the bride’s house and the marriage contract is signed.
The jisseess recites verses of the Holy Qur’an and again prays for the couple and wishes them a happy married life with plenty of children. Then guests are invited to the dinner in the house. After the dinner, the real celebration begins and the people of the neighborhood dance to show their joy and happiness.
This type of celebration is famous in the Kingdom’s western region and is passed down from one generation to the other.
Arab News interviewed a local Makkah jisseess, Yousif Al-Nahari. Al-Nahari has been performing in the Al-Nukhba band as a jisseess for many years. He said that he loved his profession because it links him to old traditions and he feels that he is preventing their extinction. “There is nothing like feeling that you are protecting something which came from the past. It is one of the best traditions that was passed to us from previous generations and it is our duty to make sure the traditions continue into the future. People love this type of celebration because it reminds them of the past. They love the sound of the jisseess and they sing along with him.
He went on to say, “Our main job is to get the groom to relax on a tension-filled day. We talk to him and sing songs in his praise and get a crowd around the groom to participate with us. We use soft words to make the night one of the best for the groom.
We want to export this type of Hijazi tradition to the outside world. Whenever I perform, I feel something different. The best feeling is when I get positive responses from the crowd at the wedding. I remember once before the wedding, the groom’s family was so excited when they saw us that they wanted to wear the same clothes we were wearing. Before I began singing, I felt as if I were part of the family and the groom was my son. We did not feel like strangers.”
