On the eve of each Hijri New Year, housewives in Nabeul, 70km southeast of Tunis, keep the tradition of cooking couscous with cured meat, stuffed intestines, eggs, and raisins. The whole family, relatives and neighbors meet and decorate the traditional couscous with whatever the host can afford of sweets, dried fruits, and of course, a sugar bride in the middle. Sugar brides are usually offered to the girls, while candy animal toys are offered to boys, aimed to bring joy and delight to the hearts of everyone, especially children.

On the eve of each Hijri New Year, housewives in Nabeul, 70km southeast of Tunis, keep the tradition of cooking couscous with cured meat, stuffed intestines, eggs, and raisins. The whole family, relatives and neighbors meet and decorate the traditional couscous with whatever the host can afford of sweets, dried fruits, and of course, a sugar bride in the middle. Sugar brides are usually offered to the girls, while candy animal toys are offered to boys, aimed to bring joy and delight to the hearts of everyone, especially children.

Nabeul’s residents begin their celebrations one or two weeks earlier. Their town is beautifully adorned, and vendors spreading on either side of the city streets arrange their tables artistically with candy brides, sweets, and dried fruits, causing visitors to be fantastically impressed by the displayed articles and bemused as to what to choose.

“We prepare for this day that everybody is impatiently waiting for,” says 60 year-old Zahra. “I keep them for my grandchildren, and also to use them as a topping for the traditional couscous dish. I feel delighted to receive a sugar bride even more than the kids do because New Year’s Eve is tasteless without it. It is an ‘ancestral’ tradition, and we therefore always consider it a good omen. “

She explains that they adorn couscous with sugar brides and do not eat them on the same day; rather, they keep them for ten days until Ashura, when they break them.

“We have one more tradition,” she says.  “A fiancé gives his would-be wife a sugar bride on New Year’s Eve. Such are our customs, which might seem exotic to some people, but I am proud of them and we will enthusiastically celebrate them every year.”

Sugar bride recipe

Sugar bride ingredients, as the name indicates, are basically white sugar and other additives which are only known to their makers. Sugar and water are left to boil for some time, and the mixture is then poured into specially designed molds of different shapes and sizes, such as brides, cats, birds, horses and roosters. After the mixture is cooled, it is adorned with different bright colors. The finished sugar dolls are then wrapped with cellophane for protection.

The Festival

The festival was initiated by the Association de Sauvegarde of the city of Nabeul. This year’s festival is the eighth celebration. The idea was aimed at preserving this tradition for which Nabeul’s population is famous, especially after the inhabitants had ceased their Hijri Year celebration and stopped buying sugar brides. It was therefore agreed to organize an annual festival to make downtown vibrant with all kinds of festive celebrations. In addition, a special competition for the best sugar bride is organized and results are announced on New Year’s Eve.

Visitor attraction

Samah is not a resident of this region yet she came from Bou Ficha district just to watch the vendors in astonishment and then carried a sugar bride and looked at it with great amazement. “I had not known or heard of this festival until I came with my mother on a visit to Nabeul two years ago. I observed that most of those I met on the streets were holding brides. I thought at first they were made of plastic, but I knew later they were sweets. Since then, I have been travelling to Nabeul to watch the festival and have enjoyed looking at the brides, and taking photos,” Samah said.

Nabeul is made to be special

Muhammad Ali was standing behind his desk, arranging his brides according to shape and size. He worked with great love and devotion. “This festival is not surprising for the city of flowers, lemon, spices and cottage industry. Nabeul is the bride of southern Tunisia, and it really deserves this title thanks to its unique traditions and customs,” Ali said.

One would feel the sense of extreme pride the vendors have for their profession and the traditions and customs of their city even if some consider them exotic. “This is our ancestors’ profession”, said Ali, “and I am personally not willing to relinquish it or this habit despite the unstable market, especially in the last two years with the clear absence of foreign tourists. However, this festival brings a festive ambiance to our city, and invigorates the market.”

Ali continues arranging his brides and decorating his table professionally, awaiting the arrival of customers at any time.