Culture, Custom and Tradition

The dimension of the district is very complicated in terms of variety of culture. Custom and tradition because of variation in geographical features .The district is the largest in area and have different physical features; thus very part which varies in its physical feature is diversified in numerous culture background. The resident of the Kotri, Thano Bula Khan and Sehwan have different dialects and have tribal system, having roots in Balochi culture. They even have few trends of dress and clothing which has the origin of Laur and Thar. The majority of population of talukas of Mehar and Khairpur Nathan Shah speak Siraiki whereas Johi’s population mostly speak Balochi and Siraiki and have identical customs. Thus district has cultural roots in Laar, Uttar and Balochistan and is a blend of colorful cultural heritage.

Food

One part of district Dadu differ from other due to its divers geography thus various kind of food is consumed. The residents of rice producing belt mostly consume rise, wheat, butter, curd, milk and vegetable .The people residing beside Kirther range consume milt, jowar, peas and dairy product. The population, which resides in towns, take spicy food made of mutton, vegetable and pulses.

The dress of men and women vary according to the season. Men wear thick or thin cotton clothes in summer and woolen clothes in winter season. Some of them wear caps or turban. They also wear chaster in winter. Women always wear loose shirts and Shalwars in summer. The educated class of people of this district wear clothes markably of different style and different colour. Males wear pants of cotton shirts and Shalwar in summer and silken shirts and Shalwar in winter. The common dress among the poor class in rural areas as well as in urban area is of simple nature. The Muslim female population in urban as well as in rural areas wear Burkas which is an essential part of dress. The burkas are worn occasionally when the women move outside. Generally pardah does not exist in rural areas among hari and labour classes. The women living in primitive conditions take Chadri/chaddar (sheet of cloth) for purpose of pardha. On festivals, all the classes of people wear dress of superior cloth according to the requirement of the season and according to their standard of living and means.

Women of highly educated classes wear saris and Ghararas of punjabi pattern.

The dress pattern in Hindu society differs slightly. Hindu orthodox ladies wear Pare instead of trousers and long shirts with mirror work on them. In other Hindu classes, people wear the same dress as described in Muslim society.

Children’s dress also varies according to circumstances. Commonly the boys wear trousers, shirts and caps and the girls wear trousers, shirts and dopattas. They wear socks and chappls as well. The dress worn on ceremonies is more impressive and of batter quality.

The golden as well as silver ornaments are being used by women according to their ranks on societies. Women of poor class of people use silver ornaments whereas women of the rich families use golden ornaments. The types of ornaments generally worn in the district are necklace, bangles, ear-ring, nose-ring and pazeb, generally of silver.

Dwelling

The houses in rural areas are made of mud while in town civil engineering techniques are applied in house building. Yet huts and jhoonpra, made of straws in villages, can be found. But such housing trends, which acclimatize to the intensity of heat, is dying due to better economy.

The majority of population of villages is involved in cultivation, are providing business opportunities to residents. The inhabitants of Kirthar do farming while Mallah’s of Mancher Lake earn their livelihood by fishing. Approximately 20 percent of the district population are serving in Federal and Provincial Governments.

Betrothals and marriages are done with great rejoice, fervour, enthusiasm and ecstasy. These are very much ceremonial and full community participation. The marriages are mostly planned with consent of families.

The occasion of marriage ceremony starts with the registration of marriage. After acceptance from both bride and bridegroom, the priest/Nikah Khawn gives a sermon, reciting verses from Holy Quran and ends with prayer/good-wishes.

In matrimonial affairs among the Hindus, particularly Lohanas, the proposal of marriage must come from young lady and not from the swain. The first step towards the celebration of marriage is the ascertainment of a lucky day. The month of Sawan and Bhadu are propitious, Asu is not.

With respect to other ceremonies, Profit must be consulted. When the lucky hour approaches, the bridegroom appears, attired in a wonderful façade of pasteboard decorated with flowers of colour paper, or sometimes made entirely of silver, called a mutik, and mounting on a mare (At present motorcars have replaced the animals considerably), starts for the bride’s house, accompanied by his friends, pipers, drummers, torch –bearers and men that let off fireworks. At bride’s house he is received with due ceremony into the angan(court yard), over which a canopy has been erected, where he has a bath and puts on wedding garments presented to him by the bride. The mother of the bride washes his feet with water and milk. Then he goes into the inner chamber, where the women are, and comes out leading his bride by the hand and with the corner of his skirt tied to hers. In some places he does not come out, but the ceremony is performed in the zenana. The couple sits on two stools, side by side, with the family or priests in front of them. The priests recite the saptapadi and when the bride and bridegroom walk four times round the sacred fire, on which the priests have already made the hom sacrifice. The joining of hands (hathialo) and the circuit of the fire (phera) are the essentials of the marriage rite. After it is over gifts are distributed to relatives and the officiating priests. Then the bridegroom, mounting his mare again, but this time with his wife behind him in a doli, goes in joyful procession to his father’s house. Next day the father of the bride gives a feast. A Hindu as a rule has only one wife, but if she remains childless for long, he takes another. Divorce is unknown among them. So is remarriage of widow.