One of the most unique cultures of Sindh, Pakistan, is when greeting or saying farewell to one another with a slight bow and hands joined together, fingers pointing towards the sky and thumbs close to the chest. A very respectful way of greeting and saying farewell and is practised by people from all backgrounds and religions. It is also practised in other south Asian countries and seen as a sign off respect to each other.

We Pakistanis are a very hospitable people. We also have huge diversity in language, dance, music, dress, food and so on.

About 6-7 years back, I met some Pakistani students in Almaty, Kazakhstan. They were listening to Indian songs in internet cafe. They had never met an Indian. They had never seen a Hindu. They were surprised that I did not have horn on my head and I looked just like them. I agree with this writer. Respect of diversity will lead to rich life. One color tapestry is boring.

Hi Dawn, I am regular visitor at dawn and usually looks for cultural column with coverage and criticism. I appreciate this coverage.The topic covered in this section was unknown and it gives a good feeling seeing columnist to cover these cultural areas. I cannot connect myself to the local politics of pakistan but culturally we all connect well regardless of the country. Appreciated!!

"Most unique" is a nonsensical phrase. There are no degrees of uniqueness. Look up a dictionary.

In Multicultural Society like Ours , the issue of belonging is especially Important .One of the first issues for an adolescent walking through the door or even thinking about trying a Commuity program is Whether He or She can belong to this group of people

@Ashraf Mall It is called "namaste"

Marriage ceremonies are contiued for weeks and sometimes even a month! -Dholki functions (atleast 2-3) -Maiyu'n (Bride's side) -Maiyu'n (Groom's side) 2 Days gap -Mehndi -Baraat & Nikaah -Waleema -Muklawa -Prolonged lunch and Dinner invitations from friends and family. This way a wedding celebration consumes almost a month!!

Marriage ceremonies are continued for weeks and sometimes even a month! -Dholki functions (atleast 2-3) -Maiyu'n (Bride's side) -Maiyu'n (Groom's side) 2 Days gap -Mehndi -Baraat & Nikaah -Waleema -Muklawa -Prolonged lunch and Dinner invitations from friends and family. This way a wedding celebration consumes almost a month!!

India is a place where language, culture, food and people changes every 50 miles, these unique traditions are thousands of years, In India we celebrate our diversity

watching pakistani dramas

@Akhlesh Though from strict linguistics perspective, yes you are right. But it was clear what the author meant: relatively unique. Something that is not truly or purely one and only but found or occurs less frequently than the norm. So in that context, it is passable.

I think the most unique tradition in pakistani culture is the wedding style, which is almost seen in every part of pakistan.. The traditional dresses lehnga and sherwani, food, that is spicy meat,get together of the relatives, after nikah ceremony the distribution of dryfruits,and sadly dowry is also the part of our cultural weddings.

I have read about Hinglaj Mata temple in multiple books. My father always wanted to visit the place and I thought that it may be possible, however this Mandir being in Balochistan will be a difficult proposition. I wish there was a way to visit Mata Hinglaj.

@Ashraf Mall "Namaste" (folding hand etc etc) permeates all the way from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore. This was a common practice in India (Hindus) and later with Buddhism, it travelled to multiple countries.

At partition, Pakistan had 10% Hindu community. Now it is less than 1%. Seems Minorities are not protected in Pakiastan compare to India. Pakistan is becoming more of a Monolithic society.

@viraj Its not Namaste in our culture. Its is practiced by all Sindhis be it Hindus or Muslims

Marriage ceremonies are continued for weeks and sometimes even a month! -Dholki functions (atleast 2-3) -Maiyu'n (Bride's side) -Maiyu'n (Groom's side) 2 Days gap -Mehndi -Baraat & Nikaah -Waleema -Muklawa -Prolonged lunch and Dinner invitations from friends and family. This way a wedding celebration consumes almost a month!!

Kalash

Please delete this news, Taliban & other Sunni groups will kill these poor guys.

Her arm is covered with bangles/rings. Just like the Dancing Girl of Mohenjo Daro.

@Kumar =Surprised that you did not have a horn on your head--- Please sir,You are not helping with such exassaration ,indeed lies. This is the weakness in the sub continent which undermines genuine efforts to improve relations.

This won't be published but probably will be read..the biggest cultural tradition I see in Pakistan is the complete subjugation of women.. Believe me, it's cultural...

@Ashraf Mall Expanding on this theme, handshake is probably the most standard greeting when men meet other men, or when women meet other women (a kiss on the cheek is now getting popular in upper middle class women). The handshake is interesting, and can tell you something about a person: in most Saraiki areas, a person touches his mid-left torso (the heart) after shaking someone's hand. A double handed shake is employed in most of the country to show warmth and social position. For example, it would not be uncommon for a person meeting a company of men to use a double handed shake for some people and single handed one for others. Even more interestingly, he might use a double handed shake with someone alone that he uses a single handed shake when in a group that he thinks contains people of greater social stature or are closer to him. Most practicing Wahabis (or Ahl-e-Hadith) will use a single handshake, no matter what, because they think it's more religiously correct. A practicing Brelvi who knows that other person is a practicing Wahabi will obstinately use a double handed shake, and will be stubbornly met with a single handed one - usually this will only happen when they're alone though. When meeting someone for the first time, or after a long time, it is also common for people to hug. The hug is always followed by a handshake (single handed). In most areas of Punjab, it's a full frontal hug, but in some areas, Saraiki and Sindhi for example, it's a side-on hug with the left arm hanging back.....

@Ashraf Mall ........When men meeting women in a family setting, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews etc, however distant, usually the older person male or female, will touch the younger one's head. If the age gap is greater, the touch on the head can be accompanied by a light hug. The female hug to a younger male nephew or grand-nephew can be an enthusiastic one if the age difference is great (the male hug can also be enthusiastic, but the age difference will have to be even greater. In case of cousins, if they're not too close and if the age difference is not too apparent, either party can offer their head or a raised hand to the other party, which they can accept or make a light joke about and offer the alternative. Male to male or female to female cousins can also hug respectfully - side on, with no frontal contact, with male using one arm and the female using both. This is usually not followed by a handshake as in the case of male to male hug. Similar rules apply if there's a small age gap between aunts and nephews.

@Ashraf Mall Sounds like more of indian and not arab culture. I wonder how Sindh landed up in Pak.

There is a famous idiom, 'Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone' ...but there is a very unique cultural tradition of Pakistan in which people mourn together. this cultural tradition is called Azadari. It takes place in the month of Muharram. I called it unique because the more opposition and hurdles it faces the more progression it gets. Although it is an Islamic event but we see people of different religions attending the rituals of Azadari. We see non-Muslims-Christians and Hindu attending the events and defending Azadari through their presence. they come to attend cultural traditions of Shias not because of anything else but their purity of belief attracts them towards the event. Thus, according to my observation, this is the most unique cultural tradition which together people of different sect and religion on one platform every year.

Throwing flour on shoulders of bridegroom and people accompanied him at entrence of bides house in GilgitBaltistan

Even though I hail from Punjab and there are ample traditions of Punjab that can be classified as unique but the most unique tradition of Pakistan has to be the way Pashtuns and Baloch feel about a guest. Especially when it comes to food. I remember while visiting Quetta the host (my father's best friend) would come out of nowhere and refill my plate. After one refill when I insisted i couldn't eat more he looked dead in my eyes and said "I swear upon my honour that you please eat this". Obviously I couldn't refuse! When he came around a third time he was already saying "I swear by Allah that you please eat more" I told him If I ate more id get sick he put a little portion and said "now ive sworn on God, if you don't eat this then I am a liar". It was the biggest meal of my life to date! And he was an old man and not very rich, infact I am sure he was hardly making ends meet but they way he showed his love and respect to us made us feel like royalty! Even though we are a middle class family. To me he will always be the richest man in the world.

@Shumaila Jamshed This is probably the darkest part of our culture, these traditions are worth shedding not keeping. Impractical, excessive, frugal and a bar on lower economic classes, while signifying nothing.

@Asad Seriously we have divided greeting practices into religious sub-sects as well, sorry but that's pretty retarded. The hug, side hug, Kiss, Bow, shake hands, and double SH, Joining hands and bow are now pretty much global but since the world like to follow the culture coming from the west, the bow and Joining hands with bow which are truly eastern traditions did not get popular outside of their native boundaries. Also please refrain from mixing cultural traditions with Religion.

@Sh there is univ. Of Illinois Comp. Sc. Senior Prof. His name is Gul Agha. He has written an article in 1993 on what Sindhis lost after partition. Namaste means when no mind happens within me and the divine which exists within me becomes visible, then I starts viewing the divine within you as well. Arabi Salam, Jewish Shalom & Roman Salute all mean same I.e. Peace. But it fed the egoes and bloated exclusive identities which constantly fight to make Mideast into Muddled Beast.

I think in most of parts of Balochistan, no RUKSHATI of bride takes place, as traditionally the groom is sent to the brides house, and stays at the brides home for at least three days, On the next day of the wedding the grooms family visits the brides home and there is a feast called MUBARAKI, usually after three days the groom's family invites the bride and her family at their home and the bride is bought to the grooms home.

@nasiroski Did I sound like I'm in favor of all this? No. Absolutely No! Ofcourse this shouldnt be practiced but who would listen? These days people are spending money on marriages like anything. And not to mention the money wasted on decorations and photography exclusively! This is in our culture now. If you dont spend money on weddings, you're labelled as a MISER! So short of long is that it has become part of our culture and Pakistanis name it as a UNIQUE tradition which is actually NOT? I hope I'm clear now. PEACE!!!

Muslims embracing each other with a smile, on Religious festivals like Eid, despite of not knowing each other is the most beautiful thing!

@Sh A rose by any name is still a rose. Your culture wasn't born ten years ago. It predates Islam.

Jumping over the fire during the spring festival to signify a clean start to the yea and playing the ''Egg Game'' where one tries to shatter the opponents egg without their own being cracked. This is a pagan Nowroz festival that I still enjoy playing in Pakistan and has probably been played on our lands for thousands of years ! Its something I look forward to every year! I met some Tajikistani and Iranians at a dinner once and was talking to them about this village game of ours and they were like we do the same thing!! Such a small world we live in !

In pakistan, contrary to other countries as I have observed in person, men carry the travel bags or take the disproportionate burden of bags when women accompany them.

What i usually find in Karachi is that you shake hand and put your Right hand to your heart to show affection and love for the visitor/family or friend

@Asad very nice observation. As well sometimes, the style of handshake reflects social status. In rural Sindh, for example, a wadera (landlord) or a politician will just extend his hand without actually holding or shaking others hand if he believes the other person belongs to a lower social status.

@Akhlesh interesting!

@nasiroski completely agreed! I think that the main unique cultural shall be look at what makes a different community in Pakistan unique and not that we Pakistanis do marriage in one or or other way.

@nasiroski I was trying to mention religion only in so far as it seeps into the actual social rituals. People like to think that religion determines the culture of Pakistani society, but that's really not true. Of course, religion informs our culture, but culture trumps religion to a far greater degree. One example of this can be found in the greeting rituals between Muslims and non-muslims in the country. Most practicing Muslims think that religion prevents them from saying Assalaamu Alaikum, the traditional Muslim greeting, to non-muslims. However, only the most conservative Muslims observe this rule. But even secular muslims become conservative when dealing with Qadianis, and so this practice is usually observed by most Muslims in their case. Interestingly, even the non-Muslims will either say Assalamu Alaikum or respond with the traditional Wa Alaikum Salam, if some says it to them first. Even church going Christians will usually follow this norm. However, some Christians will not say the traditional greeting and will not respond with it if someone greets them with it first. They will instead say Hello, even when someone says Assalamu Alaikum to them first. I suspect that those who avoid saying the traditional greeting aren't just practicing Chrisitians, they, in fact, actively feel alienated from the society. Of course, I could be way off on this, but I believe that personal rituals in language and social contact are more than private idiosyncrasies of the individuals. The tell us of their own perception of their place and relation with the society at large.

One of most peculiar rituals/habit I have observed in Sindh that some of the shopkeepers refuse to sell salt in evening time, they think like that it will bring ill-will or misfortune to them. Did you know about it?

@viraj That´s namaste by Hindus in North India,there are many more Asians then the Hindus !Na maste in Punjab means don´t be funny !

@DESMET Do your research before posting and save the others from your comments.At the time of partition Bangladesh was Pakistan as well.If you can simply add and sub and then you will see it comes almost to the same today.