MOROCCAN JEWS

The earliest evidence of a Jewish presence in Morocco is on tombstones dated 2nd Century C.E., found in the north of the country. As early as the 6th and 7th centuries, the Moroccan Jewish community increased as a result of incursions of Spanish Jews and mass conversions of Berber tribes. There seems to have been fairly regular movement -- economic, intellectual and spiritual -- between the communities of Morocco and Spain until the period of the Inquisition. Until recent times, there was a large and developed Jewish community -- over 10,000 Jews once lived in Morocco. The Jews of Morocco have preserved the widest variety of styles in costume compared to other Jewish groups. Urban dress is characterized by the use of velvets, brocades and silks. The most distinctive Moroccan Jewish costume is the "Great Dress" or Kswat el Kebira, which was worn by Jewish women in northern Spanish Morocco, in the city of Tetuan in particular. Jewish needlewomen of Tetuan were renowned for these ornately embroidered wedding dresses.

The origins of the Great Dress are traced to the costume worn by Jews in Spain at the time of the Expulsion (15th century). It exists in several colors, with evidence of regional variation. It is given to a bride by her father for wear at the wedding activities and other festive occasions. It is first worn at a pre-nuptial ceremony, the henna ceremony. The Great Dress has five parts. They are: 1) jeltita, a velvet wrap skirt, with bands of gold embroidery; 2) gonbaiz, an open top with short sleeves; 3) punta/ktel, a plastron worn inside the gonbaiz; 4) kmam, wide muslin sleeves worn over the shoulders like a shawl and 5) hezam, a girdle/belt of gold lame.