Sacred Vows and Sacred Spaces

Name: Sacred Vows and Sacred Spaces – 21st of September
Start: 2025-09-21T14:00:00+00:00
Location: Various locations

Bradford South Asian Festival

'Chai & Chat' sessions exploring the significance of marriage ceremonies.

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Four intimate 'Chai & Chat' sessions, each lasting around 60–90 minutes, were hosted in spaces of worship representing different faiths - a Hindu mandir, a Sikh gurdwara, a Muslim mosque, and the Urdu-speaking Christian Beacon Church.

Each session explored the shared cultural and religious significance of marriage ceremonies across those communities.

After short tours of the spaces in partnership with faith partners, older, married couples from each faith background were invited to share personal stories: how they met, how they married, and how faith and tradition shaped both their weddings and lifelong relationships.

The overall theme is ‘Shadmanny’, a Yorkshire-accented twist on a Hindi and Urdu word meaning ‘celebration’, which is deeply tied to the joy, rituals, and traditions of South Asian wedding culture.

These informal gatherings – with tea, biscuits, and conversation – not only brought communities together but also opened up heritage spaces to wider audiences, celebrating both cultural diversity and shared values. Through this project, we fostered connection, preserved heritage, and amplified the lived experiences of Bradford’s diverse communities.

This event was part of Heritage Open Days, England’s largest festival of history and culture, and is presented by an organisation involved in Bradford 2025’s Elevate programme, which aims to strengthen, sustain and increase the agility of Bradford’s heritage sector.

Credits

Image provided by Bradford South Asian Festival.

Made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.