The wedding hall was designed specifically for that purpose. Three stories high with wedding receptions running simultaneously on each every night. Alcohol could be had, but no-one bought any except one boy outside who didn't know his limits. Some rather benign dancing went on in front of a loud but innocuous band. No-one was privy to the ceremony itself except the couple and the family elders.
But there the similarity to Utah customs ends.
The reception is the third day of festivities in Afghanistan. It was explained to me that the
previous two evenings are given over to the immediate families, and the third night is reserved for everyone who would otherwise complain about being excluded. This explained much, since most of the guests sat around their tables and said nothing, staring off into space.
previous two evenings are given over to the immediate families, and the third night is reserved for everyone who would otherwise complain about being excluded. This explained much, since most of the guests sat around their tables and said nothing, staring off into space.
That is until the food arrived late in the evening. Then the table came alive with hands and double-dipped spoons scraping food from common bowls; rice, dumplings, falafal and kebabs right off skewers which could be used to kill a man. Afghans are always ready to eat.
Utah readers note; only Coke products were served here.
They were a colorful lot. A wide mix of attire from bright suit and shirt combinations, to short 
sleeves for people who came from work, to peraan tunban with waskat and lungee or turban. And they were all men.
sleeves for people who came from work, to peraan tunban with waskat and lungee or turban. And they were all men.
Afghan wedding receptions, like everything else in traditional Afghanistan, separate women from men. In this case a 7 foot high folding partition down the middle of the room. The reception hall had separate entrances for each gender. The children were allowed back and forth, but only the band could see over the wall from its raised platform. Now I know why the boys want to be rock stars....
The music was pop Indian, or Bollywood music. For those that don't know, India has its own film industry which dominates the East Asian film market. Yes, its named after Hollywood. Some of our staff speak passing Urdu from their film exposure. The music dominates the pop culture. The young men dancing at the wedding spread their arms and moved their hands in an Indian style, dancing with one another.
Men escaped the noise by going downstairs and out the "men's door". There they engaged in the
traditional handshakes, hugging and cheek kissing. Some could be seen walking hand-in-hand, a custom among friends in Afghanistan.
traditional handshakes, hugging and cheek kissing. Some could be seen walking hand-in-hand, a custom among friends in Afghanistan.
It was an odd mix of old and new. The wedding hall stood on a road with many others, lit by neon signs proclaiming names like "Kabul-Paris Wedding Hall" (missing every other letter) over facades of glass. But in the foyers of each, men were called to evening prayer at the appropriate time, or they clicked their tasbih while sitting silently at the table. Outside, the couple's car, an '80s white stretch Lincoln Towncar festooned in white flowers and streamers, waited to carry them away along Kabul's dusty, potholed roads at the end of the night.
