<p><br> Across Africa, traditional weddings are fading in the wake of modern culture, yet those remaining constitute some of the finest examples of these age-old ceremonies. It took ten years of crisscrossing Africa by four-wheel drive, camel, and mule train for Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher to chronicle the rituals shown here.</p> <p>In Djibouti, a veil of gold cannot hide the beauty of an Afar sultan’s daughter. Even among families of modest means, traditional African marriages can be elaborate celebrations that last for days.</p> <p><i>These photos and captions were published in the November 1999 </i>National Geographic<i> article "African Marriage Rituals" by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher.</i></p>