Afghans rush to tie the knot before Ramadan

KABUL: Kabul's best wedding halls are booked day and night. Musicians banned when Afghanistan was ruled by Taliban fundamentalists are raking in cash.           

Mercedes cars decorated with bright, fake flowers have become an everyday sight, rolling along streets flanked by bombed buildings or recently built, modern glass structures.           

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

This is Afghanistan's wedding season, when couples rush to tie the knot before the Muslim holy month of fasting begins on September 24, or else face the prospect of postponing their wedding until next year.        

Ramadan is no time for marriage. Muslims cannot eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. 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. But in Afghanistan the period between this holiday and the Eid al-Adha festival two months later is viewed as an inauspicious one for marriage.         

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

Right now, the plethora of 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 Mohammad Ismail, manager of the Kabul Asia wedding hall, which is covered by blue glass.        

"We are booked every day and only have an opening for lunch the day before Ramadan," he said.           

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

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

Mohammad Raza, a 25-year-old engineer, spent about 20,000 dollars on his wedding to his 18-year-old cousin Fatima this month.    

He earns about a 1,000 dollars a month as a partner in a construction firm, much higher than most Afghans. A teacher's income, for example, is about 60 dollars, while a typical builder's wage is 100 dollars.      

But wedding costs are still backbreaking.            

They 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.       

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

Most marriages in Afghanistan are arranged. Many couples see each other for the first time on their wedding night.           

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. Car dealer 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 don't like each other," the 42-year-old said. "They will make a family full of disputes and quarrels, especially here in Afghanistan where divorce is considered a disgrace."       

For Raza, organising his wedding was expensive -- he had to have two different receptions -- and exhausting. But he is glad he got it done before Ramadan.   

"I spent a hell of a lot of money and it was a lot of work to organise, but now I am happy," he said. "I had a beautiful wedding party. I had to do it all anyway, if not now then after a few months."