Discuss the rituals of one of the main life events (such as death, birth, marriage) practiced by the multi

ethnics in Malaysia

WEDDING CEREMONY

PUNJABI
BABA NYONYA (PERANAKAN)

BABA AND NYONYA (CINA PERANAKAN)

Nyonya Wedding.mp4

BABA AND NYONYA (CINA PERANAKAN)

You want to marry a Baba Nyonya Man or woman?

Please be ready!!

WHY?!!

Because you need 12 days to complete everything!!

WOW!

Review
Baba Nyonya wedding ceremonies is a tiring process that lasts up to 12 days If the same person is going to be remarried, it will not be the same as the first ceremony. Largely based on Chinese tradition Matchmaking for girls will be managed by their parents A girl must get married before 20 years old. A man usually gets married around 20 years old.

Early Stages
Proposal from the grooms family Parents of the bride and bridegroom will decide the date invitation is given to those people who will be involved during the 12days of ceremony Invitation called as antah sireh. They do not use invitation card but money, beans, lime and sirih leaf. An old Nyonya (Pak Chindek) will be given a task to send the invitation (antah sireh) to the guests. The whole family is invited even though only one sireh leaf is received from Pak Chindek.

Preparation
Room decorated with flowers, new bed sheets with colourful embroideries, curtains, and fragrance called Stangee made of tree bark, sugar cane and sugar. bunga rampai is also used but they call it potpouri. The head of the ceremony will wear a long chinese gown with short jacket. He will start to give the kuih ih also called as sang ih (introduction/introducing). It is placed inside the nyonyas basket (bakul siah). ih symbolise good things for the wedding. (good fortune) Lantern, red cloth and chye kee are put at the main door.

KUIH IH & BAKUL SIAH

Khuih Thiah Day

Opening of the wedding ceremony also called as peel onion day Open for friends and family to join by helping with the preparation. Hari Menyambal Cook 20 types of sauce(sambal) These sauces will be eaten with Nasi Lemak on the 12th day of the wedding ceremony.

Two days before the wedding

Punch flour day and Sang Jit will be done first. The flour is used to make tarts, Kuih Genggang, pisang goreng (pisang raja), apam berkuah and onde-onde. The last food that they will prepare is putu tekan which is blue and white in colour and pressed into a wooden mould. Sang Jit is the day when the Bride and Bridegrooms family exchange gifts. (duck, pig, diamond ring and so on.)

Chia Lang Khek

Dinner at the brides house Serunee or serunai group will entertain the guest all night. The bride will be groomed by the Sang Kheh Umm( Mak Andam/beautician). The beautician will teach the bride how to walk, kneel and so on. Pak Chindek will help the groom.

Chiu Thau
One of the most important ceremonies. Chiu Thau is a gift and performed in the worship place. The worship place is called Sam Kai atau Sang Kuan tai Tay which represents heaven, earth and human. The bridegroom will start the ritual first. However, the bride and the bridegroom cannot see each other before the Chim Pang.

Chim Pang
The first meeting between the couple. Starts with the lit up candle ceremony by parents of the couple. Bridegroom will unveil the bride.

Choon Tok

Eat together as husband and wife Together will be served tea and a bowl of kueh

Chia Sia
This ceremony is amusing and unique. Friend and guests of the bridegroom would gather in the room and tease the bride with the hope of inducing laughter from the bride. Bride will wear Baju Kurung and Sarong (woven with gold and silver thread) If the bride does indeed break out into uncontrollable fits of laughter, the unfortunate groom would have to treat all the guests dinner. Dondang sayang and joke. Dondang Sayang Melaka.mp4

th 12

day

The finale of the wedding ceremony, would be the "dua belas hari" or Twelfth Day ceremony, where the marriage would be confirmed and approved by proof of the bride's virginity. Firstly, the bride's parents would invite the bridegroom's mother to inspect a handkerchief (known as a Bim Poh) collected from the wedding bed. The handkerchief will be placed on a tray and presented to the bridegroom's mother for inspection, where she would be invited to perform a test by squeezing lime juice on the handkerchief in hope of ascertaining the authenticity of the stain. However, the bridegroom's mother would normally refrain from performing the test as it would also demean the bride.

 A pair of rooster and hen would also be released under the bridal bed. If the rooster emerged first, the family could expect a male first-born, and a baby girl if the hen took the lead. That day the guests are served with Nasi Lemak that cooked thoroughly so that it will be full of fat. The rice is steamed by using a wooden steamer and covered with banana leaves. The cooking master of this nasi lemak is called Bibi Nasi Lemak

WATCH VIDEO
Most Happening Sikh Wedding of 2013 __ Mannu+Anitajit.mp4

PUNJABI WEDDINGS

Preparations at home
If Sri Guru Granth Sahib is installed at home, it is usually kept in a separate room out of reverence and respect. Any religious ceremonies at home center around Sri Guru Granth Sahib The family reads Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the morning before departing. Here the grooms mother performs the duties

 Everyone performs Ardas the common Sikh prayer

Receiving a mouthfull of traditional sweets from his mother.

Departure of the Braat (grooms family and friends)

Close family and friends are invited to the house to depart together for the Gurdwara. Everyone receives tea and snacks before departing.

They also sing Sikh songs, which is cool

Arrival at the Gurdwara

Keeping an old Sikh tradition alive the groom has arranged to arrive by horseback for the meeting of the families

The Braat approach the brides family outside the Gurdwara

Performing the Ardas

Ardas is the common Sikh prayer and is invoked at the start and conclusion of every Sikh event. Here both families perform Ardas on their meeting each other.

The Milni
A simple ceremony takes place and both families exchange well wishes on meeting each other. This is followed by light snacks and tea before the religious ceremony begins. The groom distributes Karah Prashad (ceremonial sacremental pudding) to his family.

Everyone enjoys tea and snacks in a large tent beside the Gurdwara.

Entering the Gurdwara

Ragis perform kirtan (the singing of hymns from Sri Guru Granth Sahib) as people begin to enter the Gurdwara for the beginning of the ceremony. This is when the bride makes her first public appearance of the day. Men and women sit on opposite sides of the Gurdwara hall at equal distances from Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Non Sikh male and female visitors and guests can usually sit together if they wish.

 The groom sits before Sri Guru Granth Sahib and listens to kirtan as he awaits the bride's arrival.

The bride sits down beside the groom and waits as people continue to arrive.

Reading of the Lavans

The religious ceremony can be conducted by any respected Sikh man or woman. In this case it is being conducted by the local granthi who is in charge of respectfully looking after Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The ceremony officially begins with the officiate after having ascertained that both the bride and groom are Sikh asking the couple to stand up as well as their parents for Ardas.

 This family Ardas indicated the public consent of the parties involved to this marriage taking place. Every time the bride and groom arise or sit down during the ceremony they will bow down to Sri Guru Granth Sahib out of respect by touching their foreheads to the ground. After Ardas the couple sit down and the officiate then lectures the couple in the significance of marriage, their duties and obligations to each others as equal partners. The couple indicate their agreement to these guidelines and principles by bowing down before Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

 The father of the bride then places one end of a scarf or sash worn by the groom over his shoulders in his daughters hand signifying that she is now leaving his care to join her husbands. The officiate now reads the Lavan hymn of Guru Ram Das which is composed of four stanzas.

The four stanza of the hymn describes the progression of love between a husband and wife which is analogous to that between the soul (bride) and God (the husband). After the conclusion of the recitation of each stanza the groom followed by the bride holding the end of the scarf go around Sri Guru Granth Sahib in a clockwise direction while the ragis sing out the recited Lavan stanza.

 During their walk around Sri Guru Granth Sahib often there will be members of the girls family who help her complete her rounds with her husband. This is to signify their support for her as she leaves one family for another.

 After the Lavan the Anand hymn by Guru Amar Das is recited. This is followed by lectures and kirtan. The religious ceremony is formally concluded by the entire congregation standing for the final Ardas of the marriage. After this Sri Guru Granth Sahib is now opened to any page at random and the hymn is read out as the days order from the Guru for the occasion (hukamnama). Karah Prashad, ceremonial sacremental pudding is then distributed to everyone to mark the formal conclusion of the ceremony.

THANK YOU!