Afghan Wedding - Nikah

Nikah

This is a religious Islamic marriage ceremony in which a marriage contract is agreed upon. It is traditionally held in private with the gathering of the couple's immediate family and is led by an Islamic clergy, the mullah. In Afghan weddings, the bride and groom are traditionally kept in separate rooms. The bride is represented in the Nikah by her father or a close male relative. The Nikah is negotiated before the mullah between the groom and bride's representative. Once the groom has accepted the terms of the marriage, the mullah then comes before the bride and asks three times if she accepts the marriage. Once the bride accepts, they are pronounced husband and wife. After the Nikah is complete, the bride and groom enter the wedding hall and the traditional song "Ahesta Boro", which literally translates to "Walk Slowly" in Persian, is played. After food is served, there are a number of traditions that take place, one of which is known as "Aina mosaf" where the bride and groom are covered with a decorative shawl under which they are given a passage to read from the Quran together followed by a decorated mirror to view themselves for the first time as a married couple. In the past decades, this would have been the first time that the bride and groom would have seen each others' faces due to their marriage having been arranged. The shawl is then lifted and the bride and groom feed each other “Maaleda” also spelled "Malida", an Afghan dessert made from bread crumbs, followed by intertwining their arms and offering each other a sip of a beverage, usually the juice of a fruit. Other traditions include placing henna on the bride and grooms hand and cutting of the wedding cake.

The next song that follows is “Hena Beyarin ba Dastash Gozarain” and Henna ("Kheena" by Afghans, a dark-red colored dye which leaves an orange-red color on the skin) is placed on their hands.