By: Mulyani
A traditional Peranakan wedding normally lasts for 12 days. For the Peranakans, a wedding marks the coming together of two families and it is the day that traditional rituals are observed. Nowadays, some of the rituals are no longer carried out. Read on to find out which are still practiced and which are not.
Wedding Rituals
Wedding Procession
After paying their
respect to the elders, deities and ancestors of the bride’s family, the couple proceeds
to the groom’s house and repeats the same ritual. They will be accompanied by
friends and relatives.
Source: Copyright of Peranakan Museum Singapore
Coming of Age
Coming of Age
According to Chinese
custom, one is not truly an adult unless one is married as both the bride and groom
undergo the coming of age ceremony. In this ritual, the couple is initiated
into adulthood and told of their duties towards their deities, ancestors,
parents and future children.
Wedding Chamber
The wedding chamber
is a room in the bride’s house. The wedding bed is important as it is a place
of conception for the next generation. It is ritually purified and blessed with
positive energy to discourage negative and dangerous forces. As part of the
blessing rite, a young boy is required to roll over three times to spread male
energy, in the hopes that the couple’s first born will be a son.
Tea Ceremony
The tea ceremony is
the only Peranakan ritual that is practised by most Peranakan today. It is done
in both the bride and groom’s home. During the tea ceremony, the couple will
serve the tea in accordance to the order of seniority with the most senior
relative being served first.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90HQRsIBnzE and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyBqr16ejs4
Wedding Gifts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyBqr16ejs4
Wedding Gifts
Source: Copyright of Peranakan Museum Singapore
The couple will send gifts to each other with practical and symbolic meanings. For the bride, her gifts come in the form of:
The couple will send gifts to each other with practical and symbolic meanings. For the bride, her gifts come in the form of:
- Jewellery
- Ang
pow containing a token sum of dowry money
- An
uncooked leg of pork (which a portion is cut and kept)
- A
pair of candles marked by the phoenix motifs
- Two
bottles of brandy
- Oranges
- A set of cloth
The groom will receive in return:
- A
ring tied to a silk handkerchief
- A
belt and a buckle.
- An
uncooked leg of pork (which the uncut portion is returned)
- A
pair of candles marked by dragon motifs.
- Two
bottles of syrup
- Two cans of longan
- A full set of garments (sewn by the bride herself)
Information source: Peranakan Museum Singapore
