Traditional Brunei Weddings

Haji Daud bin Haji Abd Rahman who has been able to write almost weekly articles for the Borneo Bulletin wrote another one recently about old Brunei weddings:-

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Traditional Brunei-Malay wedding ceremonies and practices have been passed through and kept alive through the generations and this has ensured the survival of our wedding customs and heritage.
One reason for this is because Brunei-Malay wedding ceremonies and practices have not been altered - it has remained the same since our forefathers.

During the 1950s and 60s, wedding preparations were carried out with a lot of effort and finesse. Before the wedding, copper gangsa, 'dian besar' and 'dian kecil', 'celapa', 'sigup Brunei', 'tikar purun' and 'tikar lampit' will be arranged accordingly.

Cooking utensils and materials such as large pots cooked on mangrove firewood and others are used to prepare dishes such as rice, beef kurma, beef gulai, vegetables, and other delicious dishes.

Furthermore, family members would also be busy repairing and decorating the house, and they are also in charge of carrying out wedding customs for the bride and groom such as 'malam berbedak' and 'berlulut'. A night before the wedding reception or 'bersanding', a night of 'malam berjaga-jaga'(staying up from dusk till dawn) will be carried out by the family members and then followed with a 'mandi berlangir' by the bride and groom early in the morning.


1949 wedding photo with the 'Mak Andam' during 'Malam Bepacar' (Source: Hj Daud Hj Abd Rahman)

1954 Wedding with Bride and Groom and family on the Wedding Dias (Source: Hj Daud Hj Abd Rahman)

1956 Wedding Bersanding Ceremony (Source: Hj Daud Hj Abd Rahman)

1971 Wedding Guests witnessing a wedding ceremony at Kampong Ayer (Source: Hj Daud Hj Abd Rahman)
What makes our wedding customs and heritage so important is that it helps to create a strong foundation for a happy and everlasting marriage.

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