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For a Turkish woman, the kına gecesi (henna night) is much more than a “girl’s” party the night before her wedding. It is a traditional rite of passage, a clear and visible marker of her transition from one social and cultural status to another. She is leaving the bosom of the family in which she was raised and moving on to join her soon-to-be husband’s family with the intent of starting a family of their own.
The core of a henna night lies in the ceremony of anointing the bride with a henna mixture. Usually the bride’s family play host for the party, although either side can elect to hold it. The bride’s closest friends, her female family members and the women of her family-to-be gather to eat and dance. While they sing songs about the bride’s sadness at the end of her childhood, they also welcome in a new era of her life.
Henna is a green powder that turns bright red after water is added and the mix dries into a strong dye. The henna itself may be brought by the bridegroom’s family to be ground in a silver or copper vessel by the “başı bütün,” a woman of good reputation and good marriage. A red-toned chiffon or silk veil is often placed on the bride’s head before the henna is applied to her hands and shared with the guests. Traditions vary according to regional custom, but quite often a young girl of the bride’s family applies the moistened mix to one of the young woman’s hands. Also, “good luck” gold coins are given to her to hold in her reddened palms. At times henna is also applied to the bride’s feet and hair, further distinct symbols of her change in social status.
Although mournful tunes and tears begin the evening, the women then dance and eat and dance some more in celebration. Somewhere the groom, his male family members and his friends are also having a party of their own.
