Marriage with first cousins is common. A tradition among the Siwa is that a bride, dressed in her finest clothes and with her hair plaited in forty braids, is led to the village pool on the eve of her wedding. There, an old woman bathes her and removes the silver disc of virginity, which hangs from her neck. On the way home, the bride is intercepted by her fianc 's family, who present her with many gifts. Among them are forty dresses, of which seven must be worn one on top of the other on the wedding day.
Family life is patrilocal, which means that newlyweds live with the groom's parents.
Sometimes a new level is added to the house to accommodate the young couple. Homes are typically rectangular and often several stories in height. They have walls of stone and clay, and flat roofs of thatch covered with earth. The town is run by a council of male chiefs. Although the chiefs are supposed to be elected, their sons often inherit their positions.