English translation of a French version
performed by Tabitha du Plessis,
student at ITIRI
(University of Strasbourg)

Marrakech, March 1988, the month of Chabaâne.
The Gnawa brotherhood headed by Al Ayachi and Mina, the moquaddema.

Commentary:
In 1988, during the Chaâbane festivals, we were able to film the henna ritual.
We noticed that the two arifa completely covered their feet and hands with moqaddema.
When, later on, we showed this scene to marocans we were always told it was a traditional marriage ritual.
It is plausible that the henna designs that were applied to the hands and feet of the young brides is, essentially, identical to those of the ritual, but in the context of the Chabaâne festival, it must have more than a decorative purpose.
We asked a young moquademma in 2012. We had just finished a long interview on his divination work; she had also described to us the various dance moves associated with the different colours. When we were about to leave, we also asked her about the meaning of the ritual:

Sub-titles:
- Yes, it’s the tawrida.
- (On the feet as well, and we put on a little rope…)
- Yes, it’s the tawrida. For the mlouk.
- It’s for the moquaddema…
- by adding the little rope, she becomes a oquaddema.
- Putting on henna is a way of honouring the mlouk.
- It’s lalla Aïcha’s henna.

We were not satisfied by this explanation, so we went back to Viviana Paques’ work of reference. She suggests a highly symbolic reading of this ceremony:

Inserted text:
During the chaâbane festivals, the first ritual is that of the tanguia, purification. The moquademma starts by purifying herself by going to the hammam and by having henna applied to her. […] The arifa apply the henna to the moquaddema’s hands and feet and apply perfume to her head. […] Let us be clear on the fact that the henna is covered with sugar, to remind one that the blood, the light of the event, must pass through the sugar, the honey, which is intended to invite the souls to become one. It is applied evenly, without the ornate, fashionable drawings, so as to indicate that the hands and feet are simply dipped in blood. A strand of white wool is wrapped around the wrists and ankles of the moqaddema to indicate the end points of the application, the limit of the celestial sex. This ritual is experienced as the sacrifice of the head and the four limbs; it features the cross with the head in the middle, the symbol of the genitals.”
It is obvious that few people analyse this ritual in this manner. Is it over-interpreted? We will have the opportunity to further delve into these questions in the second part of the program. But from now on, to re-focus Viviana Pâques’interpretations in the context of symbolism, it would be a good idea to look into the symbolic relationships between the cross and the sun, the cross and the four cardinal points and the cross and the four winds. And this goes for European, North-African and even semitic cultures.