By Anis Shakirah Mohd Muslimin
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The public was given an opportunity to witness a colorful South Asian ceremony in the heart of Iowa City last week.
The Pakistani Student Association at the University of Iowa organized Mehndi Night 2016 at the University Capitol Center on Feb. 12.
Zehra Khan, the co-director of Mehndi Night, said the event was about showcasing Pakistani culture through the celebration of marriage.
“Marriage is a good thing to focus on because it incorporates culture, rituals, traditions, clothing, and food,” she said. “Those are a lot of aspects of a culture that can be incorporated in one type of event.”
Talal Riaz, the president of the Pakistani Student Association, said Mehndi is a pre-wedding event in most of the Indian subcontinents, which includes India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
“So this is basically Mehndi; there’s the Henna, the dancing, and there’s the Dholki, and there’s supposed to be some traditional songs associated with the Dholki,” he said.
Mehndi, Riaz said, literally translates to Henna. It is a paste made out of crushed Henna leaves and twigs that is commonly used for body art in many social and holiday celebrations. Participants also sang songs accompanied by the Dholki — a South Asian two-headed hand drum.
“There’s some customs where you put some Mehndi on both the bride and grooms hand, and then you feed them sweets,” said Arham Pasha, the vice-president of the Pakistani Student Association.
Pasha said Mehndi Night was organized to counter the media’s incorrect portrayal of current events in Pakistan by showing people the true, good, and fun aspects of Pakistani culture.
“It was to give people a good time, let them have Henna placed on their hand if they wanted, and try some authentic Pakistani food,” he said. “Get a feel of what is Pakistani culture.”
Mehndi Night is also an offshoot to an upcoming mock wedding event called Mock Shaadi, Khan said. Shaadi, translates to wedding in English.
Mock Shaadi will be organized by the South Asian Student Alliance on Feb. 19 at the Iowa Memorial Union. Proceeds from the event will be donated to a domestic violence shelter in Chicago called Apna Ghar Inc.
“Mock Shaadi is a full-scale fake wedding,” Pasha said. “It’s everything you’ll see at a typical South Asian wedding, from the color scheme to the decorations, the stage, and the dance floors.”
Nick Vmina, a graduate student in the UI M.B.A. program, said the event was culturally stimulating.
“I thought it was really interesting to experience other cultures,” he said. “I was able to grow as a person just by observing a little bit of a culture I wasn’t familiar with.”
Khan, who was born and raised in America, noted that cultural student organizations in general gives students like her an opportunity to showcase another part of their identity.
“You know I’m very American, but I’m very Pakistani as well,” she said. “It also gives a chance for international students from Pakistan to really have a home away from home and a chance to connect with people that are interested in Pakistani culture or people from other South Asian countries.”