Malay wedding ritual
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

The "pengangun" tying "tali pengarusan" around the neck of the bride before burning it with candles. Photo: Norizan Murshid

Tradition is hard to dislodge, and this is nowhere more apparent than the wedding ceremony especially amongst the Malay community.

Many Malay couples go through customary or religious rites at length with the belief that such rituals would make marriages last forever.

Malay families usually request the service of a "pengangun", normally an old woman who is an expert in wedding rites.

Even the families did not dare question the rites performed by the "pengangun" even though not many of them were familiar with such ceremonies.

As seen in the picture, a "pengangun" tied a multi-coloured string called "tali pengarusan" around the neck of the bride, Dayang June Husdyra Shah bte Hj Mohd Hussin who got married January 1.

The bride had to be wrapped with a cloth to protect the traditional hand-woven brocaded textile from being burned, the gold-patterned songket.

Often stiff and itchy on the skin because of its thickness and metallic threadwork, the songket was rarely worn, only on certain occasions such as formal attires for brides and bridegrooms.

However, this fabled "cloth of gold" now comes in superfine variations that make them comfortable enough for more frequent wearing.

It is usually made into baju Melayu, samping for the men and the baju kurung or shawls for women.

The two helpers then bring lit candles to burn the multi-coloured strings.

The bride is asked by the pengangun to blow out the candles.

This ritual takes place three times in a row and its cultural significance is actually asking for blessings towards long life and lasting marriage.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin