subject: What Is A Pakistani Wedding? [print this page] A Pakistani wedding has a great culture with rich customs. A Pakistani wedding is a great feast of fun, merriments, and celebrations. It is celebrated with great fervor. A Pakistani wedding is followed by several pre-wedding customs and rituals.
It is important to note that some of the customs followed in Pakistani weddings have no foundation in Islam.
Mangni (engagement)
Dholki (singing celebration)
Rasm-Mehndi (henna party)
Baraat (procession)
Nikah (marriage)
Ruksati (first night)
Walima (celebration)
Mangni (engagement)
Mangni is the engagement ceremony that marks the formal engagement of couple. The small ceremony takes place in the presence of a few important members of would-be bride & grooms family. Prayer and blessings for the couple are recited and the wedding date is decided in Mangni.
Dholki (singing celebration)
Dolki is a popular ceremony of singing traditional wedding & popular songs accompanied by two or three percussion instruments Dolki being the main. The girl is officially treated as bride (dulhan). She wears traditional Pakistani yellow outfit. Her brothers, sisters, and cousins bring her (bride) in the dholki party.
Rasm-Mehndi (henna party)
Rasm E Mehndi (Henna Party) takes place a day before the wedding. It's a ceremony mainly of women. They apply Mehndi (Henna) to the bride's hands and feet, sing, dance, and bless the bride. Sadka (warding off evil) is performed on the bride i.e. donating money circling three times on the bride?s head. Traditionally mehndi was brought by groom's parents. Mehndi (Henna) is applied in beautiful floral designs and sometimes groom's name is written in designs. After the ceremony dinner is organized for the guests. Traditionally, the bride is not allowed to take part in the celebrations and keeps her face hidden in veil. Rasm E Mehndi is organized for grooms also in some parts of Pakistan.
Baraat (procession)
Baraat is procession of family, relatives, and friends of groom that accompany the groom to bride's home for official wedding ceremony. Groom makes his way to the bride's home on a richly decked horse or in a car and baraat follows in different vehicles. Groom is given warm welcome by the bride's family with flower garlands and rose petals. Family and relatives of the groom and the bride exchange glasses of juice or sherbet along with money. Guests are welcomed by the bride's sisters by playfully hitting them with a stick wrapped and decorated with flowers.
Nikah (marriage)
Nikah is purely Islamic official wedding ceremony that usually takes place at the bride's home. Nikah is attended by close family members, relatives, and friends of groom and bride. Usually, the men and women are made to sit separately, in different rooms, or have a purdah, or curtain, separating them.
Nikah-naama (document of marriage contract) is registered in Nikah. The Nikahnaama contains several terms and conditions that are to be respected by both parties (bride & groom). It includes bride's right to divorce her husband.
Nikahnaama specifies Meher, the monetary amount the groom will give the bride. Meher includes two amounts; one that is due before the marriage is consummated and the other that is a deferred amount given to the bride at a time to be determined. The Meher guarantees the bride's freedom within the marriage, and acts as the bride's safety net.
Ruksati (first night)
Ruksati is the ceremony to bid farewell to the bride before her departure to the groom's house. She says goodbye to her parents, close friends and family. The Quran is held over her head as a blessing. It's a pretty touching moment. Although this practice is un-Islamic but a lot of Pakistani families have come to adopt it.
Walima (celebration)
Walima is ceremony to announce the wedding to community and friends. It's a grand reception hosted by the groom's parents. Relatives, friends and community people are invited to the reception and wedding is celebrated with great fun and festivities.
