ISLAMABAD: With the passage of time people prefer to present flower garlands instead of the old tradition of currency note garlands, to grooms on wedding ceremonies.
A report aired by a private news channel said that due to changing trends and lifestyles, the traditional currency note garlands business is down.
A wedding planner said, “I have seen that the new generation stays away from such unnecessary displays of wealth but it is the old generation that wants to continue it mostly in the name of tradition”.
In old traditions, it was a common phenomenon to show currency notes on the bridegroom garlands but now youngsters have changed their mindsets and prefer to buy flower garlands for grooms said a youth, Faisal Zia.
A shopkeeper Hamid Imran said that the wedding season -November to February- means brisk business for them.
Other currency garland makers are also out of business as their craft entirely depends on the availability of crisp currency notes. Garland maker Saleem Khan said business is down by almost 90 percent. “People do not have the money to buy other essentials for weddings. How can they afford this?”.
“Earlier, garlands made with 100 notes of Rs 100 denomination were the most popular and now note dealers have run out of currency and we do not have currency to buy new notes of any denomination,” said Saleem.
This business is finished,” says an old shopkeeper in Rawalpindi Bazaar. It is customary for bridegrooms in many Pakistani weddings to wear garlands made of money.
“Garlands made of rose petals with glittering gold-coloured strings and beads attract vast affluent customers”, said a young shopkeeper Basit Nawaz.
“Traditional garland makers string full flowers, but we use roses in different colours to make garlands, especially for the groom,” says Mohammad Javed a leading garland maker at the wholesale flower market.
