The exhibition of Norwegian and Pakistani wedding costumes was opened here held at Lok Virsa Heritage Museum here on Thursday. Robert Kvile, Ambassador, Royal Norwegian Embassy was the chief guest on the occasion. Executive Director, Lok Virsa Khalid Javaid said the Royal Norwegian Government had been very generous to support the cultural heritage of Pakistan.
In this direction, he said, a joint institutional cultural co-operation programme was signed between Lok Virsa and Norway in 2006 which has not only revived most of Lok Virsa's important programmes and activities that were threatened to be closed due to resource constraints, but also helped a lot in benefiting the poor and marginalised communities living in the remote and far-flung areas of Pakistan.
He appreciated the help and co-operation of Royal Norwegian Embassy particularly the Norwegian Ambassador and his dedicated team for materialising the project. Khalid explained that within the framework of the institutional co-operation programme between Pakistan and Norway, Lok Virsa arranged a very impressive and colourful exhibition of Pakistan wedding costumes and rituals at Norsk Folkemuseum, Oslo in June 2008.
He said that the success of the exhibition could be judged from the fact that it remained on display for eight consecutive months on the demand of Norwegian visitors, instead of already scheduled period of three months. Norwegian nationals and the Pakistani community in Norway greatly appreciated the exhibition.
The wedding ceremonies of a culture are always an integral part of its history and traditions. As a living culture moves forward in time, its traditions are also bound to vary according to the demands of modernism and changing trends. Norway is known as land of the Midnight Sun. The country is marked by snow-capped mountains, breathtaking glaciers, rolling green farmland, enchanted forests, sunny coastlines and also rich in wedding traditions and customs.
Traditionally, bride and groom both wear the traditional festive attire, the bunad. In Norway, it is common to wear bunad as a costume at various celebrations, especially during National Day celebrations. In recent years, its use has reached far outside folk dancing, folk music, and particular holidays. For men, the bunad has a white silk shirt, dark wool knickers and stockings that come up to the calf, a matching vest and topcoat in dark finely woven wool.
The bunad is covered with intricate, colourful hand-embroidered designs. Each design is unique to the district of Norway where the groom was born, or where the groom's ancestors came from.
For women, the bunad also may have a white silk shirt, and a dark wool intricately hand-embroidered dress, or skirt worn with a vest. Today, many couples choose modern day wedding attire of white gowns and black suits. Some modern day grooms will still wear a bunad, while the bride wears white silk dress. Pakistan represents a colourful saga of social and cultural values and traditions. Wedding in Pakistan is certainly an unforgettable experience. It is accorded much importance, and celebrations specially the ceremonies of the last three days.
Arranged marriages have been an integral part of Pakistani society for centuries and it is quite normal for people to have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family-members.
One aspect of the Pakistani society which emerges from its multicultural ethno-linguistic base comprising the four provinces Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP - is the flexibility that communities or individual families may show in introducing novelty in the observances of marriage rituals.
Such innovations have further enriched the diverse marriage ceremonies that continue to grow making weddings a lengthy affair divided into a number of ceremonial stages spread over month sometimes.
The wedding traditions in Pakistan consist of an array of colourful events spanning many days. The first stage is the painting of the hands of the bride and groom with intricate henna designs. This is known as the Mehndi ceremony and is accompanied by singing and dancing.
The wedding ceremony takes place the following day - known as the Shadi/Nikah. There is a celebration after the wedding ceremony, then another reception, called the Valima, held the next day or few days later. Two wedding pairs with beautiful traditional costumes from Norway are on display at the exhibition at Lok Virsa whereas the Pakistani wedding costumes on display represent all the four provinces and Kalash valley.