Henna Party--Kinagecesi

Hello!
I had a really nice weekend. On Friday, I went to lunch and to a beautiful mosque with a great view, with a few friends. At night, I went to a traditional, cultural pre-wedding ceremony. It is for girls only, every bride does this, all of their friends and relatives whom are female get together to dance and eat and do traditional things. I went with Yesim and one of her good girlfriends, the bride is one of their close friend's. They invited me because they know I like to experience things like this :-) Anyways, it was a great time, we danced and ate and danced more. There is one big ceremonial thing. The bride wears this big velvet red robe and a red veil on her head. All the unmarried girls in the group wear red scarves on their head and a shiny cloth on their hand a hold a candle. The brides best friend walks into the room first, carrying a big mound of gooey henna (henna in powder form mixed with water) with candles in it. All the girls follow with their candles and everyone sings. The bride comes in and sits on a chair in the middle of the circle. We sway around her and the main girl kind of dances with the henna. (translated to English, the party is called night of the henna) Then they take clumps of the gooey henna and put it in the brides hands and tie her hands. If the bride opens her hands and welcomes the henna, it means that it is her choice and she is happy to marry. Then all the single girls take a clump of henna too and put it in a palm of the hand. Everyone leaves in in the hand for like 20 minutes and it dies the hand. My palm is all red now :-)
It is a really cool celebration, there were old women there and young girls, all female of course…it was really fun. I will send pictures!
On Saturday it was rainy so I didn't do much, but went to Yesim's birthday part at night at her house.
Write back soon,
Love Sarah