ZHANG, WEIYI.
PHOTOGRAPHER, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND.
A Pakistani Wedding.
On what otherwise would have been an ordinary Saturday afternoon, Cuba Street - located in Te Aro, Wellington - bursted alive with colours and festivities. With 2020 being the year of COVID-19 and lockdowns, CubaDupa - Aotearoa New Zealand's most renowned street festival - was once again in full motion, filling the streets of central Wellington with festival joy.
As part of CubaDupa 2021, Wellington's Pakistani community (supported by the Pakistani High Commission) staged a traditional Pakistani wedding procession, known as a baraat. It was almost a chance encounter, between my cameras and the procession, that resulted in my first wedding shoot ever. The following photos is a showcase of that unforgettable afternoon.
Saturday, 27 March 2021
Cuba Street, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
As part of cultural diplomacy Pakistan High Commission participated in the largest street festival of New Zealand, CubaDupa.
High Commission for Pakistan
Pakistan is the land of remarkable customs spread all across its corners. The marriage ceremonies of Pakistani reflect the realm’s customs and congruence amongst its inhabitants. Regardless of their native and regional differences, marriages in Pakistan usually trail Islamic matrimonial jurisprudence.
Culturally, the marriages in sub-continent are not only beheld as a union amongst the bride and the groom, but is also reflected as a coalition among their reflective families, friends, and relatives. The legal age for marriage in Pakistan ranges from 16 years for women to 18 years for men.
The wedding customs in Pakistan are a mishmash pageant of jollities, pleasure, ornamental sophisticated dressing, and merriment. It is celebrated with prodigious vehemence and zeal.
Weddingdetails.com
Youth.
The procession was participated by, and presented through, the local Pakistani community, with the aim of showcasing Pakistan's unique culture and its traditions.
Parade.
We presented a Pakistani wedding procession (baraat), with all the elements of a traditional Pakistani wedding to showcase our lively traditions.
High Commission for Pakistan
Finale.
The wedding procession took, in total, 30 minutes from one end of Cuba Street to another. It began with the gathering of the procession, and ended with music, dancing, and the symbolic unification of the groom and the bride. Amongst the festivities and laughter, the wedding procession drew to a spectular close.
An earlier version of the photography were originally featured by the High Commission for Pakistan in Wellington on 29 March, 2021.
I would like to thank the Pakistani community in Wellington, the High Commission for Pakistan - in particular Mariya Abdul Ghafoor, Deputy High Commissioner - for their support. Thank you!
All photography and website design by Weiyi Zhang. All rights reserved 2022.