Marriage Quetta
Marriage is an important social institution of society. Different customs of marriage are practised in Quetta district. The marriages are mostly arranged and take place within the tribal and lineage boundaries. The mate is selected by the parents. However, in a few cases the marriage is arranged by the partners themselves.
Generally there are two types of bride price in the district i.e vulvar and dowry. The vulvar is the payment in cash or kind by the groom’s family to the bride’s family. This custom is common among Pashtoons and Brahuis. The amount of vulvar depends upon the economic status of (bride and groom’s) family. It normally ranges from 50 thousand to 2 lakh Rupees among Pashtoons. Among Brahui, the amount of vulvar is comparatively low , ranging from 40 to 80 thousand Rupees. Sarai is rarely practised. As for polygamy, it is to some extent practised, particularly in the rural areas of the district. The influential persons either marry for pleasure or for the sake of male offspring. However, one can mention that the trend towards polygamy is declining, because urbanisation and education have changed the attitude of the people towards polygamy.
Dowry is paid to the daughters in marriage by the bride’s family. This custom is common among Punjabi’s, Urdu speaking and Hazara (among Hazara dowry is not compulsary). It often leads to a negative attitude towards daughters. Sometimes a small dowry spoils the family relations.
Many tribes have given up the vulvar system. For example, among Kasi, Bazai, Mashwani Syeds, vulvar is not taken. The marriage expenses are jointly borne by the groom’s and bride’s parents. Similarly vulvar is not anymore practised in the Hazara community. Rather, the bride’s parent give dowry in the form of domestic articles and the parents of bridegroom bear the expenses of the engagement and marriage ceremonies.