Weddings to Remember

Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends. And Happy Holidays to the rest of us.

My neighbour (three doors away) had a wedding celebration for her son today. Everyone nearby was invited including us. I went with the twins, but since my significant other had to work overtime today, it wasn't much fun. It has been awhile since I last went to a wedding ceremony.

Traditionally, wedding ceremonies for the Malays are very special occasions. Although the actual wedding ceremony itself, or the akad nikah, where the bride and groom say their vows, is a simple ceremony which takes about one hour to complete, the ceremony after takes longer.. sometimes for as long as three days! Of course, Islamically, the akad nikah will be sufficient to 'legalise' the marriage, but the Malays have a special way of celebrating it. Some people consider this 'extravaganza' a waste of time and money, but to me, it is more than just celebrating the marriage. It is during this time that families reunite, and the true spirit of teamwork shows. Long lost relatives, cousins, aunts and uncles reunite and each family member gets reminded that they are actually a big family.

It is often said that there are two occasions where long-lost families get to meet each other; one of them is during the death of a family member, and the other one during a wedding ceremony. One would of course prefer to meet other family members (some of which they have never met in their lifetime) during joyous occasions, right?

This neighbour's wedding ceremony was a true Malay wedding. The house was actually full, and I saw a lot of happyy faces there. They made a lot of noise that actually disturbed this ever-so-quiet neighbourhood.. but I guess they are all forgiven since it doesn't happen everyday.

And suddenly I remembered the day when I got married.... It was a beautiful occasion.. which I will cherish for the rest of my life.....

Life is beautiful, isn't it?