One of the romantic customs was called ayna-andâzi (“mirror casting”). In this practice, a young man in love would reflect sunlight from a mirror onto the face of the girl he admired,usually from a high place, behind a tree, or from a distance where the sunlight could reach her.
This act had several purposes: to express affection, to signal romantic interest, or to announce his presence and desire to meet again. Sometimes it was simply a gesture of love and attraction; at other times, it was meant to catch the girl’s attention. This was often referred to as “casting the net of love”.
However, mischievous or unruly boys also sometimes used the mirror to tease or annoy young women by flashing it in their faces (Burhani Sharistani, 2019).
This custom is also reflected in the folk poetry of the Hazara people. For example:
“I’ll cast my mirror on your face,
Sit at your gate and gaze upon you.”
(Fayyaz, 2019)
Because this kind of romantic expression was considered contrary to social norms and traditions, ayna-andâzi could sometimes lead to serious consequences such as public disgrace for the girl or trouble for the boy.
Another folk verse recounts:
“A man cast a mirror on my face while I was washing,
My suspicious husband was informed,
He struck me hard across the face —
And pulled my hair in anger.”
(Mozaffari, 2019)
In some areas, the mirror was called shisheh or glass (Mozaffari, 2019). If the girl reacted negatively and her family found out, the act was regarded as dishonorable (nâmusi) and could lead to the boy being severely beaten (Fayyaz, 2019).
Sources:
●Mohammad Ali Burhani Sharistani (2019, online interview with Zahra Hosseinzadeh)
●Seyed Abutaleb Mozaffari (2019, in-person interview with Zeinab Noori, Mashhad)
●Mohammad Hossein Fayyaz (2019, online interview with Zahra Hosseinzadeh and Sedigheh Hashemi)
Author: Seddiqa Hashemi and Zahra Hossainzadeh
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