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Egypt has been exposed
to many civilizations, such as the Greek, Roman and
Islamic ones. The marriage customs of Egyptians make
it easy for a couple to get to know one another, for
the families meet often.
It starts by the suitor's parents visiting his fiancee's
house to get her family approval to complete the marriage
and reaching an agreement, which contains two main
items: an amount of money, called Mahr, paid by the
suitor to his fiancee's family to help them prepare
the furniture of their daughter and a valuable jewelry
gift, called Shabka, given by the suitor to his fiancee.
The value of this gift depends on the financial and
social levels of the suitor's family.
When the two parties complete the agreement, they
fix an appointed date for the engagement party.
When the house of the new family becomes ready, the
two families fix a date for the wedding party.
The night before wedding day, the relatives, friends
and neighbors get together to celebrate "the
Henna Night".
The next day, the marriage contract is signed and
registered. After sunset, the wedding party starts
and the couple wears their best dresses and jewelry.
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