MARRIAGE

.The girl is dressed and then wrapped in yards of cloth like a mummy, until she is unable to move. She is locked in meten from the inside with a number of female attendants. The groom arrives in gala dress and wearing his kris, followed by his retinue, and when he comes to the locked door, he sings in kidung, answered in song by one of the old women inside.

The servant opens the door and receives the money from the bridegroom, who enters with his friends. They pick up the helpless bride, lay her on the bale, cut the wrappings, and leave the couple alone. After a period of time the groom steps out and announces the marriage consummated; female attendants examine the girl to verify her defloration, and the couple is bathed - the man in the river - and dressed again.

They stand in front of the offering called sesayut tabuh rah, " to end virginity," and are blessed by the priest. Ten days later they dedicate the offering tetebasan and prepare for the great legalization ceremony, which takes place in five days.

Masakapan. It is essential that the great wedding festival take place on a propitious day set by the high priest, the pedanda. Mapadik marriages are calculated to take place on the fourth or the tenth month, but for ngorod the date is set on a good day of the week called ingkel wong, one out of every six weeks, in which affairs concerning human beings are propitious (there are, besides, weeks set aside for domestic animals, for birds, trees, fish, and bamboo) .

After their honeymoon a runaway couple returns to the home of the boy's father for the legalization ceremony, brought in grand procession, carried on palanquins to the accompaniment of cymbals, and gongs, kulkul beats, and firecrackers.

In Pemetjutan we assisted at the belated marriage feast (masakapan) of a Gusti people. Among the higher castes, who like to appear rich and extravagant, there is considerably greater ceremony than at the weddings of the common people. Often form invitations written on palm-leaves are sent to near relatives, which is stated the nature of the wedding present that they should bring along - the one I saw asked for four ducks - thus keeping the present tactfully within the means of the donor all avoiding repetitions.

In this manner the relatives co-operate meeting the expenses, for among such families there are always innumerable guests of rank to be lavishly entertained with banquet food and theatricals. Early in the morning the house of o aristocratic friend in Pemetjutan began to fill with impressive noblemen dressed in their best and wearing jewelled krisses, who arrived with retinues of women and attendants bearing present.

links [ 1 ] - [ 2 ] - [ 3 ] - [ 4 ] - [ 5 ] - [ 6 ] - [ 7 ] - [ 8 ]