Excerpt - www.virtualmalaysia.com
... marriage rites of the three largest ethnic groups in
The Malays have perfected the art of subtlety when approaching the bride's family to ask for her hand in marriage and this line is invariably one of the subtle, poetic exchanges that take place. The representative of the groom, typically a male relative, is usually accompanied by a small entourage bearing trays of gifts including, among others, a betelnut leaves arrangement, an engagement ring and sweets ...
... In some respect, the traditional Malay wedding ceremony bears similarity to the Indian wedding ceremony. Before the advent of Islam, Hindu was the most prolific religion in this region and this has been attributed to these similarities, which include, among others, the mandi lulur. Like the Indians, a day before the wedding, traditional Malay bride and groom would often partake in a mandi lulur - a special bath scrub whose ingredients includes turmeric powder - in their respective homes. The majlis berinai - whereby the bride will have henna applied onto her hands and feet - is also reminiscent of the mehndi ceremony in an Indian wedding ...
... The Indian wedding ceremony is perhaps the most elaborate … Before the wedding, the mehndi or henna is applied onto to the bride's hands and feet to ward off evil. The bride then dons the sari and jewellery, gifts from her future husband on the day of their engagement, and makes her way to the temple. Bright hues of yellow, red, orange, peacock blue and green are favoured as they are believed to bring good luck and blessing to the occasion, while white and black - considered to be mourning colours - are generally avoided … But the central part of the Hindu wedding is the agni parinaya. Agni parinaya is the circumambulation of fire - which symbolises divine witness to the marriage while all the time reciting a Vedic chant …
... Traditional Chinese weddings encompass the three letters (betrothal letter, gift letter and wedding letter) and six etiquette (proposal, divination of birth dates, confirmation, presentation of gifts, choosing of wedding date, and acceptance of marriage) between the two families. The matchmaker plays a pivotal role, acting as the main go-between for the two families.
Red - a colour symbolising prosperity to the Chinese - fills the house of the bride. The central act in a Chinese aside from the wedding act itself, is the tea ceremony. This is a ritual that places the parents, above all else. The ceremony is also a symbol of respect. Before the arrival of the groom, the bride offers tea to both her parents in way of thanks for having raised her. This is done on her own without her groom or the bridesmaid.
Once this ceremony is completed, the groom will arrive and with the help of his best man, plead, pay, haggle, sweet-talk their way into the bride's house with much merriment and teasing from relatives and friends - a light-hearted moment shared in a traditional Malay wedding. This is followed by the wedding ceremony itself, which is a relatively simple affair with the bride and groom paying homage to Heaven and Earth, the Kitchen God and family ancestors, asking for blessings for the union. Unlike the Malay or Hindu wedding, a traditional Chinese wedding does not normally involve a priest.
This is followed by a tea ceremony between the newlyweds and the groom's parents, which basically completes the wedding. Three days after the wedding, it is customary for the newlyweds to pay a visit to the bride's parents where she will be received and treated as a guest ...
Words by Salmah Nur Mohamed
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