Afghans Tie The Knot Before Ramadan

The bill for weddings in Afghanistan is backbreaking for many.

"We are booked every day and only have an opening for lunch the day before Ramadan," Mohammad Ismail, manager of the Kabul Asia wedding hall, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday, September 20.

Few days before the start of the holy month, wedding halls across the Afghan capital are booked day and night.

Mercedes cars decorated with bright, fake flowers are also seen moving everywhere in the capital.

Sometimes mini-buses crammed with women singing and beating drums bounce by, their occupants celebrating another marriage sealed ahead of Ramadan.

The Islamic Crescent Observation Project (ICOP) has said that the first day of Ramadan will astronomically fall on September 24.

During Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain during daylight hours from food, drink, smoking and sex.

Evenings are given over to prayer. Then it is early to bed so everyone can get up around 4:00 am for a quick bite before the sun rises.

The holy month ends with the three-day `Eid Al-Fitr celebration.

In Afghanistan, the period between `Eid Al-Fitr and the `Eid Al-Adha two months later is viewed as an inauspicious one for marriage.

Winter sets in too, with snow piling up as temperatures plunge.

Busy

Right now, the numerous halls that provide couples with a one-stop venue for their wedding day -- a simple marriage ceremony followed by a reception for hundreds of people -- are pleased to be busy.

"This is the time of work, time to make money -- we will rest for the coming three months and possibly all winter," said Ismail.

Fawad Video, the most famous wedding recording unit in Kabul, is also booked fully until Ramadan.

"Sorry, we are busy every day," says Fawad himself when asked if he has an opening.

"We have one and some days two parties to work on."

Beauty salons are also doing a brisk trade during the marriage season in the Asian Muslim country.

The best Iranian-trained make-up artists charge at least 200 dollars a bride -- a fortune in this impoverished country.

Costly Traditions

Grooms save up for years, or borrow from a host of relatives, to pay wedding costs.

"I spent a hell of a lot of money and it was a lot of work to organize, but now I am happy," said Mohamed Raza.

Raza, a 25-year-old engineer who earns 1,000 dollars a month as a partner in a construction firm, spent about 20,000 dollars on his wedding to his 18-year-old cousin Fatima this month.

Despite the high expensive wedding, Reza is glad he got it done before Ramadan.

"I had a beautiful wedding party. I had to do it all anyway, if not now then after a few months."

Marriage expenses in Afghanistan include thousands of dollars spent on gold jewellery and clothes for new brides, garments sometimes bought for other family members, household items for the new couple and, of course, the reception -- to which every relative and friend is invited.

"I know it is too expensive but we should obey traditions, customs. We have been invited to people's weddings and now we have to invite them back," Raza said.

But not many of Afghanistan's nearly 31 million people earn as much as Reza does to be able to foot the backbreaking wedding costs.

A teacher's income, for example, is about 60 dollars, while a typical builder's wage is 100 dollars.

In some areas, mainly southern Afghanistan, men also have to pay a dowry, usually between 1,500 and 8,000 dollars.

Most marriages in Afghanistan are arranged. Tradition also leads to marriages between relatives and unions involving young brides, sometimes less than 16 years old.

Some Afghans believe these customs should change.

Haji Kabir Attal, a father of six, says he is lucky that he grew to love the woman his family chose for him. But he has seen the practice go wrong.

"There are many cases in which the couple doesn't like each other," said the 42-year-old car dealer.

"They will make a family full of disputes and quarrels, especially here in Afghanistan where divorce is considered a disgrace."