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It is a norm in most rural community, as they say, the "kampung" people of with Javanese culture. As the long awaited celebration day comes, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, those directly related, and those indirectly related to the bride & groom to be, and especially, neighbors within the community start to get busy, preparing for the festival.

The preparation starts as early from months ahead. Responsibilities are being divided equally between family members and the neighbors. Weeks before the wedding event, family members sit down together, once more, to check their positions, to update on the progress of their responsibilities. There's the food and beverage division, invitations, make-up, stage, entertainment, and most importantly, the bride and groom.

24 hours and counting. All the tents are up and installed. The raw materials for food and beverage prepared. The chief cook makes one final check. Chopped onions, garlic, chillies, lime, spices, chicken, beef, prawns, ginger and all the necessary ingredients are prepared in mutual aid between the family members and the local community. Commonly known as rewang within the community, this takes place all night long before the main feast. There's food prepared for the community all night long, with cold drinks, roti canai, COFFEE, snacks and karaoke as well for entertainment to relief themselves from the stressful night. Food is commonly cooked in big pots over firewood.

A typical malay wedding ceremony spreads over a period of two days. There's the akad nikah, berinai and bersanding. During the berinai session, there's the reciting of the Qur'an by the bride the night before. On the main feast day, its the bersanding event which is most important besides visiting friends and family enjoying the feast of food. The groom will be accompanied by the beating of the kompang making his way to the bride's house and being held up by those visiting at the door, with the toll ritual. The best man will then have to give them money and gifts in order for the groom to pass. In some occasions, there will be the pencak silat, a traditional martial arts performance at the gates. After the toll and pencak silat performance, the groom will join the bride sitting on the dais and sprinkled with scented water and yellow rice by family members, relatives and guests, known as merenjis.

The bride and groom then makes way to the high table joined by family members. Guests will then be attended to, by the newly weds, as they are greeted and thanked for their attendance.

At the end of the ceremony, it is a custom, for the newly weds, to make themselves useful at the end of the day. Their task is to clean the big pots used to cook the food. They will have to scour the blackened big pots until it is clean as it will be used in future coming events.

Learn more about this author, Kahlil Abdul Hakim.
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