Mayun is a pre-wedding ritual in which family members apply a turmeric paste, called ubtan, to the bride, and often to the groom at his own home. It is usually a small, warm gathering in yellow, and traditionally it marks the start of a few quiet days at home before the wedding.
In Urdu it is written مایوں. Say it "MY-yoon".
Which traditions use it
- Pakistani weddings. Mayun is the usual name, and the event sits alongside the dholki and mehndi.
- Punjabi Sikh and Hindu weddings. The same custom is called maiyan. The Apna Virsa heritage project describes the tradition that "the bride and groom are not allowed to leave their homes" and dress simply for a few days before the wedding, while a paste of barley flour, turmeric and mustard oil, called vatna, is applied.
- Other traditions have turmeric rituals too: the haldi at Hindu weddings, and the gaye holud at Bangladeshi weddings.
Mayun is a cultural custom, not a religious requirement, and families keep it in very different ways.
When it happens
A few days before the wedding, often the day of or the day before the mehndi. In the older tradition the bride then stays at home until the wedding. In the UK, with jobs and fittings to fit in, many families keep the ritual but not the days of seclusion, and hold the mayun as a short morning event before the mehndi.
Vendors involved
The mayun is often at home and simple, but couples may book:
- a photographer, because the yellow outfits and marigolds photograph beautifully;
- a decorator for a small backdrop, seating and flowers;
- hair and makeup, if the mayun and mehndi are on the same day;
- a caterer or home cooks for tea and food.
Our questions to ask your photographer sheet helps, and you can browse vendors by city from locations.
Common spellings
Mayun, mayoun, mayoon, mayun ceremony and maiyan. The paste is ubtan or vatna.
Planning tip. Turmeric stains clothes, floors and upholstery. Put down covers, choose outfits you will not mind marking, and allow time for the bride to wash and rest before the mehndi.
Questions
Ubtan is the paste applied at the mayun, usually based on turmeric with flour or gram flour and oil. Punjabi families call their version vatna. Recipes vary by family.
They are close. Both involve turmeric paste before the wedding. Mayun is the usual Pakistani term, haldi the usual Hindu term, and maiyan the Punjabi term.
Not always. Many UK families now hold the mayun on the same day as the mehndi, or as a small morning gathering at home, rather than as a separate evening event.
Related terms: haldi · mehndi · dholki · rukhsati
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