I WAS JUST A CHILD

The ritual represented during the performance is a Turkish traditional pre-wedding celebration called the “Henna Night” (Kına gecesi). It is a significant cultural event, usually held one or two days before the wedding ceremony, where the bride, her female relatives, and friends gather to celebrate her transition from maidenhood to marriage.

The central ritual of the night involves the application of henna to the bride's hands and sometimes feet. Henna is believed to bring good luck, blessings, and protection against evil spirits.

“Yüksek Yüksek Tepelere ev kurmasınlar” - “Do not let them build homes on high, high hills”

The story tells of Zeynep's longing for her family when she goes as a bride to a village far away from her hometown. After not seeing her family for seven years because of the distance, Zeynep's sorrow grows every day, she misses her family and home. 

Zeynep sings this folk song, which she wrote herself, in the garden of her house to relieve her longing. While her husband mistreats her, the young woman becomes ill and falls into bed. Realizing that her condition is worsening and that there is no way back, her husband goes to his wife's village and brings her family. 

The last image that Zeynep's family witnesses is their poor daughter lying unconscious on her bed, singing for the last time this song and breathed her last breath. This folk song is still one of the most frequently sung folk songs at henna nights.