Cambodian Wedding

The other day a classmate of mine was asking me questions about Cambodia. She told me she had been so interested in our country yet knows very little about it–an unsurprising situation I often encounter with foreigners. Our chat grew more interesting from one question to another, with the most interesting part being when we started to talk about Cambodian weddings. She was so amazed when I started to describe how tiring, colorful and lengthy weddings can be. Without any real visual aids, she could only imagine how impressive it might be. I then promised her I’d do a write-up with pictures on my blog for her later. And now here it is! One of the most important rituals in Cambodians’ life is their wedding. A proper Khmer wedding is very colorful and filled with ceremonies and celebrations. It can last from as short as one morning to as long as three days and nights, depending on the financial situation and social status of the bride and groom’s families. According to the Khmer Institute‘s website, ‘three’ is considered to be an especially auspicious number by Cambodians because of its association with the “three jewels” of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Sangha (brotherhood of monks), and the Dharma (the Buddha’s teachings). Somehow, due to the demands of modern day life today, both in Cambodia and overseas, most wedding ceremonies are completed in just one day, with the majority following a pattern as follows. The wedding began early in the morning with the bridegroom, dressed in traditional Cambodian costume, and his family traveling to the bride’s home bearing gifts to the bride’s family as dowry. Family members and friends are introduced, and wedding rings exchanged. Morning Procession. Since I have no pictures for this ceremony from a real wedding, I am using those from IFL’s Culture Day 2005 Fashion Show instead. This is followed by breakfast of porridge, fruit and sweets while the master of ceremony and companion keep the audience entertained with folk songs. Among Cambodians of Chinese descent, the tea ceremony will be held before breakfast for the guests. Breakfast is followed by the hair-cutting ceremony which is a must at all weddings. It is a traditional rite handed down from the old days to add merriment to the wedding. Although in the old days the hair-cutting was for real, nowadays a mock hair cut is staged. The couple, having changed into traditional outfits of gold and yellow, are seated on decorated chairs. The master of ceremony and his companion then teases them and the family members much to the delight of those present. Carrying a tray with scissors, a comb and a bottle of hair spray, the first person given the honor to cut their hair is the family matriarch, who pretends to cut the hair of the bridegroom. Soon she retrieves a gold ring from the hair which have earlier been placed there by the priest. She does the same to the bride after which the expensive hair spray is used. This ritual is repeated by other elderly folk at the ceremony. Retrieving the gold or silver rings is to signify that the couple will have a prosperous life. Costumes for Haircutting Ceremony The solemnisation of the wedding then follows. The bridegroom, after another change of clothes — this time dressed like royalty, approaches the entrance of the house where the bride, in a dazzling red outfit with gold embroidery, awaits him. Knot-tying Ceremony The washing of the feet ceremony is held where traditionally the bride placed the groom’s feet on a tray and washed them. These days, however, she merely sprays cologne over the feet. The priest holds their hands together and chants. And after blessings from the parents, the couple put their hands on a pillow and a sword is placed across their closed palms. In this final and most memorable stage of the wedding, family members and friends tie the bride and groom’s left and right wrists with blessing strings. The praises and well-wishes of happiness, good health, success, prosperity, and long-lasting love are acknowledged and witnessed by the loud sound of the gong and joyful cheer. The ceremony is concluded with a shower of palm flowers thrown over the new couple and a sumptuous dinner later at night with more songs and dances to entertain everyone.