The Henna Night

 Written by: Najia Nijat

Naseema and Jawid go to the castle. Lalo Mama welcomes them. There are dishes in the yard of the castle and they ask about them from Lalo Mama.

Lalo Mama says that tonight is the henna ceremony of the princess of the castle. Jaweed asks about the ceremony of a girls henna party. Lalo Mama takes them inside the castle and there he says that people in different areas celebrate henna night differently. Then he turns on his tape recorder.

Wajiha, a resident of Farza district, Kabul province says: “When we ate our dinner, our relatives and villagers (boys and girls) take the groom with themselves. The girls have small trays of henna in their hands. Some girls play tambourines and boys are dancing along the way to the bride’s house. When they reach the bride’s house, they sit the bride in the middle of the room; boys and girls dancing around her. Then seven boys apply henna to the groom’s hand and seven girls to the bride's hand and continue singing songs.”

Talwasa, a resident of Nangarhar province says: “The henna ceremony starts almost a month before the wedding ceremony. The bride’s every aunt holds the henna ceremony for one night and girls apply henna to the bride’s hand.”

Lalo Mama turns off the tape recorder and opens a window about the henna night of Wardak area, Maidan-Wardak province.

In the window, Naseema and Jaweed watch a henna night party and they like it. Naseema says that his uncle’s wedding ceremony would be held soon and she adds that she has bought expensive dresses for his wedding. Jaweed blames her for buying expensive dresses. Lalo Mama says that he remembers about an expensive dress. Naseema asks about it from Lalo Mama.

Lalo Mama opens another window for their information.

Window:

In the window, the guests see a beautiful bridal gown made out of more than 3000 peacock feathers.

Naseema asks about the gown. Lalo Mama says that a peacock farm in Linyi, northern China’s Shandong Province, has created a wedding gown made out of more than 3,000 peacock feathers. According to the farm owner, Qiu Yun it took 3,150 feathers collected from more than 200 male peacocks to make the dress, which took two months to be put together. 

Lalo Mama closes the window.