Flew back to Malaysia on Jan.15 and got there Jan.17. This was my second trip back home since 1999. I was so excited!
Bob and I went on this trip cuz my nephew Izhar was getting married to Farah. It was also about time that we go back to see the family.
Besides attending the wedding, we also went to Bali for a 4d/3n vacation, thanks to Yong my eldest sis, who bought us this trip as a belated wedding gift. Thanks SO MUCH Yong!
I'll divide my entry into a few posts so this first one will be about my nephew's wedding.
Below is a brief explanation of the Malay wedding which I got online:
A Malay wedding is the stuff of traditional dreams. Organized with family and friends, the Malay wedding is not just for the couple but a chance for all members of family to get involved.
Treated as king and queen for the day, the Malay wedding is an opulent affair, and a number of ceremonies are undertaken before any Malay couple can take their steps into society as a married couple.
Akad Nikah is the most formal and religious part of the Malay wedding process and officially brings together a couple in marriage. Leading the ceremony will be the kadhi, a religious officer from the Syariah Court. He usually performs the akad nikah ceremony but the bride’s father could also do it as long as there were religious officers present. The Akad Nikah ceremony is effectively a verbal contract that takes place between the bride’s father or his representative (kadhi) and the groom. To seal the contract will be the handing over of the mas kahwin (Mas kahwin is an obligation and a condition in nikah. It is a gift from the husband to the wife as a symbol of their marriage.) and a pledge from the groom, which must be heard clearly from the three witnesses present. This simple ceremony belies the fact that marriage is taken very seriously by the Malays and that it is a serious responsibility of the groom to look after his bride and uphold the sanctity of marriage.
Gifts are exchanged during this time, and they must adhere to the gifts promised during the engagement. They can range from shoes to clothes to perfume and more.
Bersanding is where the party can really begin! Like a normal reception, the bersanding is a chance for all to gather and have a fun kenduri (feast or gathering). This will either take place in the bride’s house, community hall or even in a hotel. Here guests will also be able to see the newly married couple as they sit in ‘state’ on their pelamin (raised dias). Like the wedding itself, the preparation for the wedding is done with the full cooperation of friends and family and it can be a close-knit affair, full of laughter between the members of the community.
Bertandang usually occurs a week after the actual wedding at the bride's house. This time the bride and her entourage will go to the groom's house for a reception. Most times, the bride will stay on and live with her husband while her family goes home at the end of the day.
The photos here are taken on all three occassions, first at the bride's house, then the reception at a hotel and lastly, at the groom's house. Since Bob and I are members of the groom's family, we wore red too on that day.
The photos here were taken with different cameras so they are not arranged in sequence.
