Bangla Town   1991 Banglatown, East London. Young Bangladeshi women, known as ‘sakhis’ (friends) of the bride, gather outside her home on a council estate in Tower Hamlets. They are preparing to shower guests of the bride with yellow and red flower petals and sweets during the Gaye Holud ceremony, a vibrant pre-wedding tradition in Bengali culture. In this ritual, turmeric paste is also applied to the skin of both the bride and groom while they are at separate locations. Symbolising vitality and purity the ceremony also involves the exchange of gifts between the families and friends of the couple, these include sweets and decorated fish, presented in a spirit of acceptance, love, and well-wishing before the marriage. London UK