In northwestern Pakistan, marriages are usually arranged by parents and families. The lavish weddings are a time of joy and celebration for the families, friends and relatives of the bride and the groom. RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal correspondent Majeed Babar recently attended a traditional Pashtun wedding in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar Valley.
A Pashtun Wedding In Peshawar
![Bridesmaids walk the bride toward a Henna ceremony, in which her hands are dyed with henna. The traditional colorful covering held over her head is Banrasy.](https://gdb.rferl.org/f5b18fba-a4a3-4eb8-bb9a-a9e2313f4dc7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Bridesmaids walk the bride toward a Henna ceremony, in which her hands are dyed with henna. The traditional colorful covering held over her head is Banrasy.
![The bride getting henna tattoos on her palm.](https://gdb.rferl.org/7a4c43eb-02f2-45dd-9586-736099379864_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The bride getting henna tattoos on her palm.
![The groom also joins in to get henna tattoos.](https://gdb.rferl.org/10be43a1-5234-435d-a7e5-1acb64762f32_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The groom also joins in to get henna tattoos.
![Women relatives celebrate the beginning of the wedding with a traditional dance called Shadoola.](https://gdb.rferl.org/c03da069-7db3-4267-aca2-d31a33d0a532_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Women relatives celebrate the beginning of the wedding with a traditional dance called Shadoola.