Weddings....Shaadi ka ladoo

How the modern bride relates to the age-old custom of traditional wedding sweets... New 0 0 0 0 By Ayesha Iftikhar With the nation gearing up for another flurry of weddings this winter, brides-to-be across the country are mapping out every last detail of their big day. It’s not easy being a metropolitan bride. There was a time when most major decisions were solely made by the parents, and often even the grandparents, with young girls content to abide by their choices in all matters. Now, however, women are beginning to see their wedding not only as an event to mark a monumental transition in their lives, but as an exciting opportunity to make a statement about their identity. A dress, an item of jewellery, a certain makeup aesthetic - all these choices become an opportunity to declare themselves, to express creative styles, to don a distinct persona, even, for that one special day. No wonder, that the wedding industry is growing rapidly, both vertically, in the traditional big-ticket items such as catering, clothing and jewellery, and horizontally, through the emergence of several supporting crafts, products and services. Dress designers like Fahad Hussayn and HSY are constantly innovating, as are a number of savvy event planners. Choices regarding even the minutiae of the event have become staggering, from customized tableware to handmade invitations. A choice that still harks back to a simpler time, however, is the selection of the traditional sweets for the ceremony. Mithai has been a staple of sub continental weddings for centuries. The sharing of sweet (rather than savoury) items at such events is rooted in an expression of wishing sweet things for the couple’s future. While many regional varieties existed before the Mughals assumed control of India, they incorporated a particularly Persian emphasis on sweetmeats served ritualistically as part of wedding processionals, buoying interest in these practices. The 15th century Persians viewed the sharing of sweets at such functions as the engagement, the nikkah and the wedding day as an intrinsic part of the decorum of these occasions, and this practice is still very much in evidence in modern-day Iran. In Pakistan, of course, it has become a deeply entrenched part of our culture, with mithai khilana becoming synonymous with the sharing of joyful tidings. Today, the discerning bride can choose to incorporate this age-old custom into the wedding of her dreams, in many unique ways. Many sweetmeat vendors are now offering customized packaging to suit different tastes. ‘Nirala Sweets’, for instance, has responded to the evolved demands of its consumers by dedicating a whole range exclusively to different wedding related items, including an overwhelming variety of designer bidd boxes, and, more excitingly, an option to design your own package. Such choices mean that new brides need no longer feel tied down to old-school presentations of their wedding sweets, but can instead experiment with something new, and more in line with their personalities. Maria, a bride-to-be, shares, “I design my own dresses, and have always had my own distinct style. I have an ideal image of what I should look like up there on the stage, and how I want my pictures to be. Then I thought, what about the mithai going with my wedding cards? Over 300 people will be invited so why send something boring, that everyone’s seen before? Why not be creative? So, I had my own boxes designed with wood, glass and jamawar ribbons to match my theme, and they were a big hit! Everyone loved them.” Further, eating and sharing sweets no longer means going into carb-overload, as now there are many sugar-free versions of all-time classics. But variety and competition in the industry also mean that age-old sweet treats like the gulab jaman, ladoo and barfi are now also going head-to-head with newer entrants in the field, namely, designer chocolates. Chocolate cafes and desserts are immensely popular among the urban elite, so it comes as no surprise that chocolate has made an appearance on the wedding scene as well. Does this mean that a fundamental shift in the status of traditional sweetmeat is occurring? Is it being shed, like so many customs of yore? Many people do not think so. “I don’t think chocolates can replace traditional sweets on such occasions,” says Naila, a recently married lawyer. “We can eat chocolates, brownies, cakes any day of the week. But to get a box of mithai seems to automatically mean that something great has happened for someone, maybe the best news, like a marriage or a baby. For me, chocolate doesn’t have the same association.” It seems that people are not prepared to walk away from this particular tradition any time soon. There is a distinct sentimental value attached to the good old gulab jaman and its peers, and people are in fact opening up to vibrant new ways to celebrate it. So, ‘meetha-holics’ all over the country, rejoice! For there’s every likelihood that some choice selections will be coming your way this wedding season!