Celebration

We live in a world full of diverse cultures and religions, all living together. We all have a diverse way of celebrating a special day. One of the most important of these celebrations is the day when two individuals join their lives in front of their dear ones. We are aware that every culture has its own way of celebrating this special day. Similarly, in Pakistan, the wedding ceremony is considered a very important ritual; therefore, it is celebrated uniquely. In a Pakistani wedding, there are many pre-wedding customs and rituals. The first custom is known as an engagement function in which both the bride and bridegroom’s family decide for a final decision of marriage. Prayer and blessings are recited and the wedding date is determined. After engagement, usually it takes a few months for wedding preparations.

The actual wedding functions starts 1 week before the final day. The next ceremony is the Mayun which is a custom where the bride enters a state of isolation for 7 days prior to the wedding. The most joyful ceremony is the mehndi function. It’s a ceremony consisting primarily of females who apply henna on the bride and each other and they also sing and dance

The Baraat and Nikah usually happen together or one after the other. It is the official ceremony of the wedding. Baraat means when the groom’s family and relatives or friends make way to the bride’s home where they are warmly welcomed. It is there that they share juices and foods and meet and greet each other. This mainly happens in the Baraat. The Nikah is purely an Islamic ritual where it is attended by only close members as men and women are seated separately.

The next ceremony is the ruksati in which the bride bids farewell to her family and is taken to her in-law's house. The last ceremony is the Valima which is more like a wedding reception. Hence, Pakistani weddings are extensive consisting of many rituals and customs. Thus, they are colourful and amusing for all.