Finally, I’m posting the photos from brilliant couple Hani and Mahwish’s wedding receptions in Karachi. Hani and Mahwish have already returned to Pakistan after their honeymoon in Australia!
As with tradition, Groom Hani and Bride Mahwish had two wedding receptions. The first one, held in a large marquee, was hosted by Mahwish’s family. This was the more important reception as Mahwish’s family was, in effect, giving her away to Hani.
Although the receptions were very formal events with no singing or dancing, the traditional suits and dresses made the event very colourful. Many of the females also sported intricate henna tattos on their hands and feet.
The food was open-buffet style. There is almost always heaps of food left over as the hosts cater for everybody invited to the wedding, often several hundred people, despite the fact that lots of people do not turn up.
Winter is wedding season in Pakistan and locals have to plan their schedule carefully as with so many weddings occuring at the same time, with several events per wedding, clashes between events inevitably occur.
Arriving to the event
On the stage
Siblings Huda, Hadi and Hani along with Mahwish and her sister
A beaming Mahwish in her stunning wedding dress
‘Guarding’ the wedding couple
With Hani’s parents
The reception marquee
Huda’s hennaed hands
Surrounded by Hani’s friends
Sampling the wedding cake. Note: although the wedding cake looks like a traditional ‘Western’ wedding fruit cake, it was in fact a delicious chocolate cake.
I’m in Alexandroupoli for a short visit from Istanbul. Last night I stayed in Hotel Erika, not a bad hotel although its free wifi access was not operating, much to my annoyance (I’m in an internet cafe at the moment).
This is my first ever time to Greece. From the little I have seen, it shares many similarities with Turkey, as expected.
Some of the differences between Turkey and Greece I have observed (not ‘facts’, but generalised perceptions) are:
– Greece is slightly more religious. Many of the Greek flag poles have crosses on top of them, there are many small shrines on the sides of the road and every second TV channel seems to feature a Greek Orthodox priest.
– There is much more pork! I’ve stocked up on bacon, ham and salami.
– There seems less differences between men and women in Greece
– The average standard of living is higher here
– The alphabet and language are different – It is difficult not being able to understand and express myself as much here, although on the whole more people speak English.
– Prices are on the whole about 1&1/2 times to double those in Turkey
– The cafe/bar culture is much bigger
– Based on a tiny sample size of one, I think the Greek ‘yiros‘ is better than the Turkish ‘doner‘
I hope to visit Greece again in the future, see more of the sights and try more food and drinks.
Today I will go back across the border and eventually arrive to Ankara tomorrow in preparation for a fair on Thursday.
ADDENDUM: I forgot to mention a few things when I originally wrote this post:
– I found out the reason why the Greek yiros tasted better than the Turkish doner: the yiros was made of pork! When I found this out from the woman at the restaurant I bought a second yiros along with the pork sausage I originally intended on buying.
– Alcohol in the Greece is much, much cheaper than in Turkey. The supermarket prices are only slightly above those in the duty-free shops at the border.
– Easter was coming up in Greece. This may have been why there were so many Greek Orthodox priests on television. I did buy some Easter eggs to bring back to Turkey.
– In Greece there were outdoor cigarette advertisements. These are banned in Turkey.
This evening I went to check my videos on YouTube, only to find the website censored! I, and most folks in Turkey are now barred from accessing the website because of a court order.
Clicked on the image below for a larger, uncropped screenshot of YouTube’s censored main page.
After Hani and Mehwish’s 2 wedding receptions in Karachi I flew north to Lahore. Lahore, located close to the Indian border, has an ancient past and is Pakistan’s main tourist centre. It is the capital of Punjab Province with Punjabi being the major spoken language. Lahore is also noted for its shopping and I bought some bargain souvenirs.
The next two videos were shot from a rickshaw on the way to the Data Sahib Shrine. In the second video, note the guy yelling from the van approximately 12 seconds in. He wasn’t too complimentary!
Some of the architecture in the fort buildings, like this elephant, was intricate and beautiful
I love reflections
Lahore Fort tilework
The Lahore Fort
I didn’t see as much as I wanted to in Lahore as first thing on all mornings but one I had to rush to the toilet. For one or two hours each morning I didn’t feel 100%. By the time I felt good half the day was gone. The only morning I did not need to go to the loo I ate KFC (for health reasons, of course) the night before. At KFC I was served by speech and hearing impaired employees. The restaurant used a special system of hand signals to communicate with.
Lahore’s pollution was also challenging. I developed a sore throat and then a cold because of it. In Karachi I was protected from the pollution most of the time, travelling by air-conditioned car and staying at Hani’s place. I can’t imagine what it’s like in the heat of summer. To get used to this part of the world and enjoy their trip properly, people should stay at least a month.
The air pollution is evident in this Old City photograph
Fish offal, foam boxes and untreated sewerage make for a delightful smell and a photo not found in official tourism promotions
The last few days of my trip to Pakistan coincided with the first half of Eid ul-Azha (also known as the Feast of Sacrifice in English, Eid ul-Adha in Pakistan or Kurban Bayrami in Turkish).
Just like in Turkey, the most obvious signs of the of the holiday were livestock (mainly goats, sheep and cattle) in unusual places. I even saw two goats in the centre of Lahore dressed in jackets with their legs sticking through the sleaves!
Livestock feed markets for animals prior to their sacrifice, on the side of a Karachi road
A soon-to-be sacrificed Brahman cow in Lahore’s old city
Goats in Lahore
A large livestock market on the outskirts of Lahore. Because of this market and the cars surrounding it my already late bus to Islamabad was delayed further.
I arrived back to Karachi too late to witness Hani’s family sacrifice a cow and a sheep, but, of course, there was still plenty of food left over from the barbecue.
Pakistani music is diverse and I managed to sample a few styles during my trip.
Classical
Although there was music at both of Hani’s wedding receptions, it did not take a prominent role.
The music at the second reception consisted of a tabla and a sitar, the basis for Pakistani classical music.
Qawwali
Every Thursday in Lahore there are two special performances: Qawwali music at the Shrine of Data Sahib in the afternoon and Sufi drumming and dancing at the Tomb of Shah Jamal in the evening. Thanks to Malik and the personnel at Regale Internet Inn, I and the other Internet Inn customers had some of the best seats at both events.
Following are three photos and three videos from the Qawwali performances of 28 December. Vocals dominate the Qawwali style of music and the singing can get quite animated at times. Worldwide, the most famous Qawwali singer was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, someone Eddie Vedder was privileged enough to work with.
Every so often a man would come around to collect tips for the group then performing. At least two or three different formations performed. Some people went and threw notes over the band or other audience members just like at a Turkish wedding.
https://youtu.be/6bq9RnFOEms
Following the Qawwali performance, outside of the Shrine of Data Sahib some Gypsies performed in the street. They are societal outcasts with their long hair, body piercings and different dress but are seen as holy/providing good fortune, hence the crowd. Note the bells hung around their belts. These guys also attended the Sufi dancing that night.
Sufi Drumming and Dancing
That evening, several of us from the Regale Internet Inn caught rickshaws to the Tomb of Shah Jamal just outside Lahore for an evening of dhol drumming and sufi dancing.
Prior to the dancing the brothers Goonga and Mithu Sain drummed, at one stage joined by a saxophonist. The below video is pitch black and the sound is muffled because I recorded it with my camera in my bag as taking of images was not allowed. Despite these defects, the sound is still cool, particularly for anyone into jungle p0rn music or under the influence of mind-altering substances.
Later in the evening the dancers came on and starting dancing their freestyle Sufi styles. The almost purely male crowd were enjoying their hash in various forms and everyone had mellowed out so I slyly recorded the next video. Two of the dancers whirling themselves into ectasy in the below video were not originally meant to be dancing. The guy with the hat gave Drummer Goonga Sain a 1,000 rupee note (the largest Pakistani denomination, about USD 16.50) and for that his mate was allowed to sit front and centre and he could dance with impunity. The guy in the mustard-coloured dress insisted on dancing despite the best efforts to get rid of him by one or two of the ‘real’ dancers.
Despite the extremely loud drum noise, asleep in the tree above where I was sitting were pigeons. Unfortunately, the two people sitting next to me were shat on 2 or 3 times by these winged rats.
As the night was cold, the concrete seat uncomfortable and, most importantly, I wasn’t smoking the weed, I did not totally get into the sound and left with other Regale Internet Inn backpackers before the performance finished early the next morning. Outside the courtyard, other drummers were doing their stuff in front of another audience.
Bhangra
A Bhangra band provided entertainment New Year’s Eve at Regale Internet Inn. The group consisted of Chimta (large tongs), harmonium (squeezebox), ektara (single-stringed guitar) and dholak (drum) and voice.
