Your Ultimate Guide To Pakistani Wedding Rituals: Part 1

May 21, 2018

Pakistani weddings are some of the most vibrant and glamorous occasions. Celebrated with real zeal and excitement, Pakistani weddings have a host of pre-wedding customs and rituals that are truly unique and create a colourful affair.

When the wedding season starts in Pakistan large families come together, mixing different rituals, all with their own Islamic and traditional importance:

Engagement (Mangni)

Like every marriage around the world, the celebrations begin with the engagement ceremony, known in Urdu as ‘Mangni’. These engagement parties vary in size from a small gathering to a large ceremony depending on the size of the family, but every party includes important family members of the bride and groom. The future couple receives blessings from elders and the marriage day itself is decided at the engagement.

Mayun

The Mayun ritual is where the soon-to-be bride is secluded from everything and is not supposed to do any chores or errands around the house. After Mayun, the bride and groom aren’t to lay eyes on each other until their wedding day; the bride is beautified with oil and yellow paste called ‘uptan’ in that time. Modern Mayun’s are a great excuse for the whole family to get together with lots of food, dance, music, and talk of the up-coming wedding day.

Dholki aka Drum Beating

The Dholki party is an amalgamation of singing, dancing, chatting and food. The sounds of the drum beat are an iconic part of a traditional Pakistani wedding. They are usually at the homes where family and friends dance and sing along to traditional songs to the beat of Dholki. The bride wears a yellow outfit and the groom can be seen adorned in a white outfit with yellow scarfs.

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