Hani and Mahwish's second wedding reception was held at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi, two days after the first reception. As with tradition, this second wedding dinner was hosted by the Groom's (Hani's) family, in effect, as a thank you to the Bride's (Mahwish's) family for granting her hand in marriage.
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.
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.
Like Istanbul is for Turkey, Karachi is the financial, transport and trade capital, and a former administrative capital of Pakistan. However, unlike Istanbul, Karachi is not Pakistan's tourist capital (that is Lahore).
Hani's family company is involved in trade via Karachi's two main ports.
Karachi is a vast, sprawling city. The weather was mild during the day and occasionally chilly at night. Many coconut palms displayed their fruits and eagles plied the air.
Surprisingly, on 2 or 3 different occasions I saw transvestites street walking in the evening.
A new mosque
I went with Hani and his friends or family a few times to local landmark Cafe Clifton. There we parked and drank very strong, sweet, milky tea brought to the car by the waiter.
A street in central Karachi. Billboards were everywhere on the main thoroughfares.
The new years eve entertainment at the Pearl Continental Hotel, the location of Hani and Mehwish's second wedding reception. For a city of 15 million people the entertainment options are very poor. I don't even believe there is a nightclub there. Hani's friends (mainly foreign educated) grumbled about the lack of things to do in Karachi.
Another busy Karachi street
25 December is a public holiday in Pakistan, not for Christmas, but for the birth of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the country's founder, also known as Quaid-e-Azam ("Great Leader") or Baba-e-Qaum ("Father of the Nation"). 25 December 2006 was the 130th anniversary of his birth. To celebrate this, there was a televised ceremony held in Karachi, Jinnah's place of birth, attended by President Musharraf and other other political leaders.
A video I shot of guard movements inside the mausoleum. Some people may recognise the music tune performed.(Note: This is my first ever video uploaded to YouTube).
The mausoleum. Note the eagles around the top.
As evidenced in this photo, thousands of eagles live in and around Karachi.
Karachi buses (and trucks) are vividly decorated (and often overcrowded).
