Shrines today have their own rituals that they perform. A simple silly ritual surrounding these shrines is the tying threads in knots around a tree. The purpose being, to make a wish, 'mannat' from God. I saw one of these little trees my self on my excursion of the shrines. It was dresses in what looked like threads. Another famous ritual is that of ‘urs’. This is the anniversary of the death of shrine people. The most famous ‘urs’ is that of the data durbar for Hazrat Ali Hajveri. People come from all over Pakistan to attend it. There are dances and performances and food. It’s a proper celebration. People who don’t know better would think there is a party going on. I’m going to go a little religious here and tell you that the most important issue here is the ritual of prostrating before the tombs of these people. This is a big NO NO. It sounds a little cliché but we bow to no one but One God! I think it is important to educate people in such matters and I hope this blog will be helpful. These are just a few of the silly rituals that our great nation has come up with. It’s time to move past such sordid affairs and concentrate on the more important things in life, one of them being to try and keep up with our faith.
