Malay Wedding
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I had the privilege to attend a Malay wedding hosted by the couple in their home in Malaysia. It was held on a weekend in conjunction with the school holidays to maximize the attendance. The celebration spanned over two days with the bride side of the family attending the first day followed by the groom side on the second. |
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A tent city was built in the middle of the street outside of the home to serve the guests. A permit was required but completed with security, traffic and parking assistance. Tables, chairs, food, drinks, music, lights and even fans were a part of the tent city. It was professionally done. |
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Inside the living room was a special area set up for the bride and the groom. They were treated like a queen and a king for the day. |
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Guests were lining up to visit this area and took pictures. All wished to be treated like the king or queen for the day. |
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When the groom arrived to the ceremony, the bride met him outside. Together they walked back to the house with family members and friends behind them under the beat of hand drums and the singing of hymns. |
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Once entering the living room, the bersanding ceremony took place where the couple sat on a bridal dais as relatives and guests sprinkled perfumed water, flower petals and rice on their palms to signify good wishes. The entire event took over an hour. |
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While the bersanding ceremony was taking place inside, other guests were mingling on the outside with children running around in a true family setting. |
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Soon the couple emerged from the house and started the formal banquet. |
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The tradition had it that the bride would exchange an odd number of gifts with the groom. Likewise the groom would bring an odd number of gift or dowry with two more pieces than the bride. For example, the bride would prepare for 11 pieces of gift while the groom would match with 13 pieces such as the sum would always be an even number for good luck and completeness. |
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At the end of the celebration, each guest was given a 'goodies bag' containing a bunga telur which means 'flower' and 'egg' - a symbol of a fertile union. The party would go on for hours and of course repeated on the following weekend for the groom side. It was indeed a unique experience of a lifetime for visiting guests from another culture. |
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