Culture and religion

Punjabi folk dances such as Jhummar and Sammi originated in Jhang District. Jhummar is a dance for men while Sammi is for women. The district also originated a well-known form of folk music known as "Dhola", or "Jhang da Dhola".

Traditionally men wear turbans and dhotis (similar to a skirt or kilt) though in recent years people have started wearing the national dress, the shalwar kameez. Some older women also wear dhotis. When women wear dhotis, the style is referred to called "Majhla" in Jhangochi; th male style is called "Dhudder". However, it is more common for women to wear shalwar kameez.

Street sports are important in Jhang District and include tent pegging (naiza baazi), kabaddi, volleyball, cricket and football (soccer).

In the past, women wove cloth with spinning wheels – known as Teeyan and Trinjan – but now that the area is industrialized the practice is no longer common.

The northwestern Jhang District, particularly the area at the west bank of the Jhelum River, is somewhat different in its culture because it is more influenced by the Thalochi culture emanating from the neighboring districts of Mianwali, Bhakkar and Khushab.

Jhang District is predominantly Sunni Muslim, with a significant Shia population and a small number of Ahmadiyya. There is a sizable Christian minority also. Among the majority Sunnis, the Barelvi school of thought has a major influence. Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri is a prominent religious scholar and politician who represents this view of Islam. Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi was another prominent and controversial leader from Jhang who created Anjuman-e-Spahe-e-Sohaba (A.S.S), which the United Nations has now banned. Jhang has been the center of the centuries-old chess match between Sunnis and Shias for more than two decades.