Desi Weddings have a charm all their own – are you ready to get into the spirit?
What was the bride wearing? What did you eat? Oh, was it Qorma sheermal? Haven’t had that in AGES! And did you spot Sheila maami’s daughters? They’re back from college. Yes, one of them is engaged I believe. What are you wearing tonight? Sari or Gharara? Hair up or down?
OMG!
Is it nearly December already? My life moves into fast forward as winter approaches. Try and lose weight in November because December is going to be one drone attack after another of halva puri, biryani, tikka, seekh kebab, qulfi, gajar ka halva, kashmiri chai (mind you, it’s FULL of calories) and … the family gossip, oops I meant, get togethers! Don’t forget the moong phallis as we chat late into the night over chai and left over pans from the fridge!
Winter is perhaps the most festive season all year round. If it’s Christmas in the west, it’s shaadis in the east. Susraal woes, family get togethers, hook ups, food, food and food calling! Ufff can’t wait to get started, yet, I felt you need to know why this season is the special-est (excuse my english) of the year!
So here’s my list of 7 reasons to attend weddings other than because you have to:
1. Family Gup shup (NOT gossip, did you read gossip?)
Some relatives only visit from abroad when a shaadi happens in the family. Of course this is usually in winter. There’s something super awesome about the cool weather, the brief window of time we all have to meet up and get chatting, about whose daughter graduated, who’s getting married, or whose mom is looking for a prospective? Meet ups with multiple relatives and friends are cramped into 3 weeks max. Cousins connect after a year or more and late night chai and coffee sessions over moong phalli and gup shup (gossip? did you hear gossip? I meant gup shup of course), are what winter memories are made of!
2. The Desi Food Attack
Shaadi ka khaana, I mean, … not just your mom’s daal chawal. This is winter and it’s muraghan khaanay ki baari; boti kebab, sheermaal and qormas top the list. Somehow winter deceives us into believing that our metabolisms work faster in the cold and the weighing scales won’t shift. But who cares, says that inner voice you’ve been ignoring all year, it doesn’t matter, and it really doesn’t! Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die(t)! Tis’ the season to be jolly and eat what you will, because you will miss it after the shaadi’s over.
3. Playing Dress Up
Even those who hate dressing up, love it in winters. Weddings give us a chance to dress up, get a blow dry (which can be recycled for day 1, 2 and 3 of the festivities) because it’s cold and you don’t sweat much right? Wear those family jhumkas you have your eye on, and feel like Mahira in Noori. Okay maybe you don’t like Mahira much, go for your own look, but add the drama, because, it’s winter and next year you’ll be a whole year older, so be young and feel young with that sari, velvet shawl, heels or whatever else you have hiding in that closet because you felt it’s too much. It’s NEVER too much at a Desi wedding!
4. Grooving to the Latest Mehndi Songs
Whether it’s Chhalawa or Haye Dil, you can always go for Madhuri’s Ghaagra if you prefer a more classic piece, but music makes the heart skip a beat and feet tapping, hand clapping light-headedness take over as Mehndi songs and dances transport you to music heaven. Music does for the soul what food does for the body. So indulge in both, for winter is a season to indulge.
5. Going for Paan after the Wedding
If you haven’t been for a trip to the paan shop after attending a wedding, then you haven’t lived … in Pakistan. Do yourself a favour and try the meetha or saada khushboo or both, packed with naarial (drop the chhaalia please). You will buy some extra to take home and stock up your fridge. A paan is perhaps the most acquired desi taste ever, and if you haven’t developed one, oh well … it’s never too late. Now is the time!
6. Match Making Heaven
Whoever said shaadis were made in heaven had it all wrong. They’re actually made when wedding bells chime in the family and prospectives meet, spot each other, spend time in the company of friends and family. Someone’s next door neighbour meets someone’s cousin and … you might just have another wedding on the cards. Yes, desi weddings are an excellent way to get a meeting of the hearts. And why not? When Millenials can do it on shaadi.pk then they can definitely make it from virtual to real by meeting up in person – is that too dated for you? Well, maybe it’s a good time to get back to the basics, and winter weddings are the perfect opportunity to get off your phone and get talking to real people – pssst, Ahad Raza Mir seems to be doing just that in Yeh Dil Mera btw!
7. Looking Forward to a Gaane ki Mehfil Post-Wedding Events
See there’s the wedding, and then there’s the post-wedding festivity. A gaane ki mehfil wraps up a perfectly festive event with heart warming grace. Unleash the Ghalib, or Kishore Kumar in you as you sway to the beat. Music is a way to relax, forget about all our troubles, the Monday morning blues, the rukhsati of a daughter, and anything else we have on our mind, even if it’s the last drama episode that’s making you guess what happens next! Music makes the heart grow fonder, so sit back and enjoy this desi fix and renew your senses for 2020!
Shazia likes to pen her thoughts when she feels passionately about a life experience, a person or an event. She is mother to 3 lively boys and along with her husband, attempts to settle in her new country by taking German lessons so she is able to soak in the culture, language and spirit of the region.
“Wake up in the morning, take a deep breath and exhale! Keep on living with a passion that inspires others! “
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