Sequined wedding shawl from Bukhara and Afghanistan

A bride wore a shawl such as this for the first time at her betrothal ceremony, usually held a year before her wedding. This symbol of engagement was worn over a brilliantly colored reddish-pink shawl, against which the sequined patterns stood out boldly. In Afghanistan both shawls, together with other garments, were presented to the bride by the bridegroom’s family before the ceremony, and she la…