II. Vocabulary and grammar practice.

1. Read the article and do the activities that follow. An Arabian Nights Wedding

Two years ago a very close Moroccan friend of mine, Saed, decided to take the leap into marriage and invited me to his wedding in Rabat. Initially, I thought that weddings couldn’t be that different from culture to culture, and nothing had prepared me for the colourful and ritual-packed ceremony I was about to attend.

Although it was my first time in Morocco and I hadn’t met Saed’s family before, when I arrived, everybody gave such a warm welcome that I felt if I were a member of the family. On the eve of the wedding ceremony, the Henna Night took place at the home of a bride. This is traditional ceremonial cleansing in which bride-to-be has her hands and feet painted with henna. She is then dressed in her white bridal robes before being placed behind a curtain symbolizing her transition to a new life.

The next day brought the wedding itself and the dizzying feast of sights and sounds. The bride and groom were treated like king and queen for the day. They donned golden wedding outfits made of exquisitely detailed brocade. At one point of the ceremony, the bride and groom were hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd and paraded among their guests in royal style. The unique atmosphere which was both earnest and solemn but at the same time light-hearted and exuberant impressed me deeply.

The highlight of the evening was the wedding feast. We were treated to delicious food and throughout the feast, traditional music was enthusiastically played by a local band. During the many hours of celebrations, the house was filled with high spirits and the joy and delight on everybody’s faces was genuinely moving. It was as if an oriental fairy tale had come to life in front of my eyes.

It was unforgettable experience and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Although I come from a very different cultural background, I felt a certain kinship to the whole affair because a ceremony on which a couple make public heir commitment to live is always very moving.

2. Each of the following statements corresponds to one of the paragraphs in the article. Write the numbers 1-5.

In this paragraph the writer:

A describes how he felt when he first arrived and refers o an event leading up to the ceremony. 2

B describes his overall impression of the experience. …5…

C gives general information about what led to the occasion being described. …1…

D describes the wedding ceremony, the atmosphere and his/her feelings. …3…

E describes the event after the wedding ceremony, the mood people were in and how he/she felt. 4

3. Read the article again and find words/phrases which mean the following.

A make an important change ………………………..

B at first …unitially…………

C the day before … On the eve of …………….

D process of change ……to take a leap………………

E an amazing variety of … dizzying feast of …………….

F put on ……… dressed in ………

G very exciting and happy …… thoroughly enjoyed …………

H the most exciting part …… The highlight of ……….

I truly ………treated like….

J relationship … treated like ………..