Dr. Shagufta Yasmin
New Delhi, Dec 19 . A stage decorated with flowers where the bride and groom are sitting. There is colour and light all around. Apparently, this is a wedding stage, and it seems that this is a mehndi ceremony.
Usually, the beat of drums, songs, dance, and laughter are part of the three-day wedding celebrations in Pakistan. But the interesting thing in this wedding is that though the stage is real, the rituals and guests participating in the wedding are all real, but this wedding is a mock one, where the bride and groom are not real either.
In fact, this is just a new way of enjoying and having fun for the youngsters. Though there are family members and limited guests but ultimately, no rituals in reality happen at such weddings.
This mock wedding is actually a drama that is brought to the stage for the amusement and entertainment of young people, where they freely dance and enjoy themselves by organising various wedding ceremonies.
This strange trend has emerged rapidly in Pakistan since 2023. This trend received widespread publicity when a video of a mock wedding held at the Lahore University of Management Sciences in 2023 went viral on social media.
Every action reacts, and it happened in this case, too. On one hand, there was acceptance; on the other hand, there were critical attitudes. A student who participated in the mock wedding ceremony said that nothing was wrong with the groom, but there was a storm at the bride’s house.
People had to be made aware of the reality because people had mistaken it for a lesbian wedding. To escape from being stigmatised by involving a man, the students opted to rope in girls to act as both the groom and the bride. They probably did this because if there had been a boy in the place of the groom, there would have been greater criticism.
The former president of the student council of the Lahore University of Management Sciences told DW that the university students faced severe harassment after the pictures of the incident went viral. Being a famous university, it is in the public and media eye, and like other universities, it organizes weekly social events, but after this incident, the university lost its reputation, and security measures had to be taken for the students.
Although the first such marriage may have been criticized, these mock marriages are now becoming a trend in Pakistan and are becoming increasingly popular among the youth.
A common feeling is that the bride and groom are not able to enjoy their wedding function themselves. The long and elaborate wedding rituals and their fatigue, the crowd of relatives, the noise of music and dancing make their weddings a tiring process, so these fake marriages provide a great opportunity to enjoy all these rituals. Now, such companies have also come into existence that organize such events.
Despite the criticism, there are also opinions in support of these marriages.
Journalist and social commentator Shafa Leghari says that in Pakistan, mock marriages are considered safe for women from a recreational point of view because there are neither restrictions nor the risk of family disapproval. It is simply a socially acceptable form of celebration.
Now, as far as the terms and conditions are concerned, such marriages have taken the form of a new industry. These ticket-based marriages are gaining traction with financial benefits in a society where there is already a tradition of luxurious weddings, which involve expenses for wedding halls, catering, designer fashion, jewellery, photography, and makeup artists, which cost several hundred billion rupees annually.
The positive aspect of these mock marriages is that these marriages have also introduced some new standards, ideas, and services on a creative basis, thanks to which examples of cheap and innovative marriages have come to the fore.
Similarly, a new trend of marriage has been introduced by harmonising the customs of marriage, showcasing cultural traditions and local customs, one example of which is the “Sham Mastana” recently held in Islamabad.
Event organiser Aqeel Muhammad, who compared these mock marriages to the annual gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, says, “If it is done creatively, you get complete freedom to express your style and personality.”
It should be noted that for the first time in 2023, such a marriage was done by LUMS students who wanted to do something new at their farewell party at the end of the course, and their effort has emerged as a new social trend for the youth, which has also gained considerable popularity. Now it remains to be seen when this trend starts in India.
SY SRY
