Punjabi Weddings Are Losing Their Bhand & Mirasi Culture

There were times in the Punjab province of Pakistan when the weddings were considered scrappy without traditional wedding customs and inviting Bhands (folk entertainers) and Mirasis (folk singers) was the most hallowed ritual.

Punjabi weddings were famous all over for the festivities, show of colors, songs, dances, rituals of Henna, and the food.

However, with the changing trends, the original essence of traditional weddings is fading away and so are the Bhands and Mirasis.

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Bhands used to join and adorned the gatherings with their everlasting gags and cracks and they enjoyed an eminent position in the society.

Not only Bhands, traditional singers were also of intrinsic value in the weddings.

Mirasis were given special invitations to embellish the functions with music and beautiful songs.

These singers were usually accompanied by the eunuchs to add colors to the party and distribution of largesse to these traditional entertainers was custom.

Lahore district of Punjab has a special population of these now-fading entertainers which is settled in Dhoop Siri where 200 to 300 of their families live in one place.

News360 contacted one of the folk singers Shahzad Ali alias Chota Khan who has been in the field for decades.

Shehzad informed that he started attending the festivals at the age of 8 years and he used to earn money from the performances.

Later, he started singing and became famous among folk singers for his songs.

“I started attending weddings with eunuchs and dancers and people used to love and give respect to us”.

Meanwhile responding to a question in regards to the downfall, he blamed technology as the main reason behind the decline.

“Artists from our industry have joined factories as labors and many other daily wage jobs as people no more welcome us in their functions”, he told.