Pakistani Wedding Traditions

The wedding ceremony in Pakistan generally lasts for four days. As Pakistan is a Muslim majority country, the wedding rituals follow the Muslim patterns. On the first day, the family members of the bride and the groom dress in yellow and celebrate the upcoming festivity separately. The bride and the groom are not supposed to see each other from this day on.

On the second the celebration of 'mehendi' takes place which includes dancing and singing traditional songs. The bride also puts the henna paste on her hand and feet. The groom's family gives the wedding dress to the bride on this day.

The marriage ceremony takes place on the third day. On the wedding day, the bride usually wears the traditional red wedding dress. The bride's gown is very elaborate with a veil and heavy jewelry. The groom wears a traditional turban. A compulsory amount of money is given by the groom's family to the bride's family known as 'meher' and the amount is decided by the elders of both the families.

After the first meal, the bride and the groom sit together and a long scarf is used to cover their heads as the priest reads out prayers. Then the holy Koran is kept between them and they are allowed to see each other through reflection by mirrors. The dried dates and sweet dishes are served to the guests. The groom spends a night separately at the bride's house with a younger brother and in the morning he is given clothes, gifts and money by the bride's parents. That afternoon the groom's relatives come to accompany the bridal couple to their home.

The farewell is given by the bride's father giving her hand to the groom asking him to protect her always.

On the fourth day, the couple hosts their first dinner as husband and wife. The groom's family invites all the guests for reception.

Travour.com describes and provides information on the wedding traditions of Pakistan and around the world.

Here are some Wedding Traditions performed around the world