Wedding Zaffa with Shamadan Dancers and Musicians

In the Arab Culture the zaffa (Arabic زفـّـة), or wedding march, is a musical procession of bendir, drums, bagpipes, horns, belly dancers shamadans (candelabras) balanced on their heads and men carrying large staffs. This announces that the marriage is about to begin. This is an ancient tradition. You cannot miss a zaffa. They are so noisy you can hear them from a distance! They play rhythmic popular music, with horns blasting and full of people noisily clapping and singing. Customarily, there is also the