Berber couples wed in mass Morocco mountain wedding

MOROCCO: High up in Morocco's Atlas mountains, three dozen young Berber couples gathered for a traditional group wedding to the sound of drums and ululating.

Near the lakeside village of Imilchil, hundreds flocked to attend the singing and dancing from last Thursday to Sunday under a bright blue sky.

The wedding parties hailed from different villages, the brides wearing long colourful dresses, some embellished with embroidery, jewelry or shimmering sequins.

They and their grooms waited patiently inside a large tent pitched over rocky terrain for a visiting religious man to legalise each union.

Dubbed the "engagement season", this ancestral custom of Morocco´s Amazigh-speaking people was once intended to make peace between rival clans.

"It´s an ancient tradition and a very important event for the region," said organiser Lhousain Oukhatar.

But "the new generation doesn´t care much about traditions", he said, missing the "radiance of years yonder".

Outside the wedding tent, men in white turbans and long hooded robes tapped their drums, as women dressed in flamboyant colours stood in a line, moving their shoulders from side to side to the rhythm.

Among those waiting inside to wed, some looked nervous, while other couples exchanged excited glances.

A woman passed around the wedding rings on a silver platter.

Once married, they stepped out of the tent to be greeted by loud ululations, before disappearing smiling into the crowd.