It is now the wedding season in Cambodia with couples to be seen at various temples and wats all over Siem Reap. I have been to two wedding receptions in the past week - the first was for Mr Js sister (Chea Channak and Seam Sreimann) out in the countryside near the Roulos group of temples on the way to the floating village. The second was Lilly's (my boss at Cambodia Travel Partners) sister who got married in Phnom Penh. She is Lim Langdy and she married Bernardo Kneist who is Dutch like Lilly's husband Andre. Both couples had traditional weddings which lasted for three days with the wedding reception being the final event.
Weddings are secular affairs here and are based, with regional and individual preferences, around the following:
Presentation of Dowry - three songs. One of the Dutch guests told me that they processed as coming from the bridegroom's family, with offerings of fruit representing the dowry.
Tea Ceremony - offerings to the spirits of the ancestors
Hair cutting ceremony - to symbolise the new life the couple are starting
Pairing ceremony - tying of the wrists together by married couples at the ceremony
Although I did not attend these ceremonies there was one taking place in The National Museum which I visited on Sunday which gave a flavour of the type of traditional music and the wonderful costumes which the wedding party wore - dark red and golden aspara type outfits which are hired for the occasion.
There are advertisement for wedding attire and hire shops are to be found throughout the region with not only outfits for the bridal party who change at various times during the ceremony but also the guests who can look spectacular. There are also specialist make-up and hairdressers, however if you only wear a nice dress that is okay particularly as a foreigner.
I did not take any photos at the village reception as no one had a camera so the only photos were the official ones. However, the events were similar so this is an amalgam of what happened. The first was in a marquee in the bride's yard which was similarly dressed to this one with an arch of flowers. As you go in you are greeted by the parents and welcomed.
You are then passed to the bride and groom dressed to match in sumptuous clothing. You can see them in lime green in this photograph. You are given a gift (a lollipop and a key ring) and make your way past the groom's men and brides 'maids' equally beautifully dressed. In the country they were in pale iridescent gray at this stage. Here they are bright pink.
You are immediately placed on a round table with other guests. For the country wedding, Jay a young Englishman from the CTP office and I went together by tuk tuk and were seated with a group of Cambodian male relatives who were very attentive. I sat with a mix of Dutch women and Cambodian men for the PP wedding. You are served as soon as the table is filled, notwithstanding any other guests or the wedding party who remain 'on duty' at the door throughout the event.
There are eight courses placed on a lazy Susan in the centre of the table and we had : hors d'oeuvres of Khmer sausage, small fried dim sum, a cold chicken salad in sauce, and fried 'meatballs'. Then (in no particular order) chicken in mushrooms, a whole fish, huge prawns in garlic, mixed meat with vegetables, squid and mushrooms in hot sauce, chicken on the bone, black chicken served in hollowed out coconuts - when I found the little heads I decided not to eat it - and something unknown. When I asked the Khmer guest next to me what it was, he replied "bottom". Having a good look I thought I recognised it and asked "stomach?" as I thought it looked like tripe. "My mistake" he said "I knew it was part of the body". Great hilarity all round. The meal finished with grapes and chick pea in coconut milk.
Also on the table was placed tins of cold pop and beer + a bottle of whiskey. Waiters came round constantly dropping ice into your glass, and, everytime someone raised their glass everyone had to drink. At the country wedding the dogs and small children collecting the empty cans and bottles for recycling came round and in and out and under the table. During the whole event very loud music is played (just like every wedding) so that you can't hear anything your neighbour says! The receptions can be enormous, my translator Pisey said she had 100 tables at her wedding (which went on for four days) each seating 8 people
The bride and groom, who had changed into red matching clothes, broke with tradition because it was a mixed wedding and came round to each table to say hello.
As soon as the table is finished eating and drinking, you all rise as a group and leave the table walking to the entrance where you hand in an envelope with between $15 - $20 inside. Your place is immediately taken by another group of 8 people. I had put my wedding gift in a white envelope for the first wedding but was told this was unlucky as white was for funerals. However, the Cambodian guests, who were most kind, found me a red envelope in which to put my money. This was then placed in a heart shaped container. I was told that it was not unknown for guests to reduce the amount of the gift according to whether they liked the food or not!
You then say goodbye to the wedding party and leave.
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