The Smallest Horse

Written by: Najia Nijat

Ilyas and Lima are the guests of Lalo Mama in the Castle. Lalo Mama comes on his horse. A foal is coming behind the horse. Lima says that it is her first time to see such a small horse. Lalo mama says that it is the foal and came with her mother and it would grow up and would become a big horse. Lalo Mama says that he knows about the smallest horse in the world.

Lima and Ilyas ask him to open a window about this horse. Lalo Mama opens a window.

Window:

 In the window, Sharif and Shakila are watching a very small horse in a program on television. The spokesman says: Thumbelina is the smallest horse in the world. This little seven-year-old horse is kept by Michael Goessling at the New York Zoo. An ordinary horse lives for about 35 years, but Thumbelina could only live for 17 years, and the longevity of the animal depends on its livelihood and its nutritional status. Thumbelina received the title of world's smallest horse from Guinness World Records in 2006.

While the information ends on television, Lalo Mama closes the window.

Lima and Ilyas hear a song from inside the Castle. They ask about it from Lalo Mama. Lalo Mama says that there is the ceremony of draping a shawl over the princess' head in the Castle and then he opens another window about it.

Window:

In the window, many women have come to the Castle in order to drape a shawl over the head of the princess. They are singing songs with tambourines. Two friends, Fazila and Nooria are watching the ceremony. Fazila asks about the ceremony.

Nooria says that this is called Shawl Draping Ceremony.  this ceremony takes place a day before the wedding ceremony.  A group of women and girls come with dowries and gifts to the bride’s house. They show the bride’s family dowries first and then they show the dowries of groom’s family.

Later, they bring the bride and seat her on a throne, and then drape a shawl over her head. The draping of shawl accompanies by a special song for the bride. At the end of the ceremony, the women pack chocolates in a piece of cloth and distribute them to the participants.

Fazila adds that the ceremony of Shawl Draping differs from one place to another. Lalo Mama closes the window.