A Desi Wedding

Pakistani Style Wedding 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 celebration is the day when two individuals join their lives in front of their dear ones. Thanks to the technology and the diversity of the world that we live in we are aware that every culture has their own way of celebrating this special day. In Pakistani culture the wedding preparations start from the day when a couple gets engaged. But the actual fun starts a week or two before the actual wedding day. The main ceremony consist of mehndi (event of getting the bride ready for the special day), mayoon, wedding (Shaadi) and reception (valima), many small ceremonies are also part of the of this special day. A week or two before the wedding the very first ceremony takes place Mayoon in which the bride is free from all the chores and errands around the house, but she's not allowed to leave the house. After this day the bride and the groom are not allowed to talk or see each other until the wedding. This occasion usually takes place at the bride family house; on this day the bride wears a semi formal yellow color dress. Bride's relatives, friends and some close in-laws are invited on this occasion. One of the main rituals on this day is when groom mother and sisters or other relatives put on uptan (a mixture of different herbs, believe to be good for skin) to the bride's arm, leg and feet; uptan is applied to the bride's body every single day until the wedding. The same process in done to the groom in some places in Pakistan by the bride's family. An instrument is the special guest for this day, dohlki is named after the instrument in shape of a drum. This day is celebrated separately in the groom and bride's house where family, relatives and friends gather to spend a night full of dance such as bhangra a northern Pakistani dance where boys gather in circle to dance,