Gold dominates traditional royal wedding costumes<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Gold seems to be the preferred color for the
\ntraditional bridal costumes of many ethnic groups in Indonesia.
\nAt least that was the impression instilled by the splendid
\nIndonesian Royal Palaces' Traditional Wedding Costumes show.<\/p>\n
The show, on Wednesday at the Shangri-La hotel in Jakarta, was
\nheld in conjunction with the first Indonesian Royal Palace
\nFestival from July 1 to July 7 in Surakarta (Solo), Central Java.<\/p>\n
The showing from the Kesultanan Palembang, or the Palembang
\nroyal palace of South Sumatra, featured the Aes gede garb which
\nwas very eye-catching because gold dominated the wedding costumes
\nof both the bride and groom. The couple glowed from head to foot
\nwith the yellow metal. They were adorned with jewelry made from
\npure gold and decorated with diamonds. Even the bridesmaids were
\nclad in colorful dresses decorated with golden coins and thread.<\/p>\n
The wedding costumes presented by the other participants in
\nthe show were also embellished with gold ornamentation.<\/p>\n
The show included wedding garb from the Kingdom of Pagaruyung
\nin West Sumatra, the Keraton (palace) Deli of North Sumatra,
\nKeraton Surakarta of Central Java, Keraton Yogyakarta, Keraton
\nKasepuhan of Cirebon, West Java, the Negara Dipa Banjar Kingdom
\nof South Kalimantan, the Gowa Kingdom of South Sulawesi, Puri
\n(Castle) Ubud of Bali and the Sultanate of Ternate in Maluku.<\/p>\n
In Indonesian language, the bride price is called emas
\nkawin.Emas is gold and kawin is marriage. But that does not mean
\nthat emas kawin is always in the form of gold. The name simply
\nreflects the importance of gold in relation to wedding ceremonies
\namong all of the ethnic groups in Indonesia. Gold is chosen
\nbecause it is considered the most perfect among metals. In other
\nwords, gold is a symbol of perfection.<\/p>\n
It is interesting to see, for instance, that the decorated
\numbrella used for the West Sumatran ceremony is made of yellow
\nmaterial, which looks like gold. And the batik worn by Javanese
\nroyal families, either from Surakarta or Yogyakarta, is adorned
\nwith gold.<\/p>\n
But, wedding finery was not the only attraction at the show.
\nEach royal palace participating demonstrated the complexity and
\nelegance of their traditional wedding ceremonies.<\/p>\n
Some wedding ceremonies were opened with dances, such as that
\nof Kasepuhan Palace of Cirebon. A kuda lumping dance marked the
\narrival of a procession of the bridegroom's family at the house
\nof the bride.<\/p>\n
In Sumatran ceremonies, the brides and the bridegrooms were
\nrequired to make some dance-like movements, while the bridesmaids
\ndanced surrounding them.<\/p>\n
The procession played a great role in the various ceremonies
\nfeatured at the show. Most of the traditions require that the
\nbridegroom not be alone when he goes to pick up his bride at her
\nhouse on their wedding day. He must be accompanied by a large
\nnumber of people: both family and friends, who take an active
\npart in the wedding ceremony as well.<\/p>\n
Each step in each segment of all of the wedding ceremonies
\nsymbolized the hope for a long lasting and happy marriage. These
\nceremonies demonstrated the marriage philosophies of the various
\nethnic groups participating in the show.<\/p>\n
Breaking an egg, which is an essential part of the tradition
\nof Surakarta, Yogyakarta and Cirebon, for example, symbolizes
\nthat starting on their wedding day the bride and the groom are
\nnot longer virgins and are leaving that part of their life
\nbehind. The breaking of the egg, which is done by the groom who
\nsteps on it, also represents the hope that the married couple
\nwill soon have children. This ceremony is usually followed by the
\nwashing of the groom's feet by the bride to symbolize the
\nfaithfulness of a wife to her husband.<\/p>\n
In the Cirebon ceremony, the bride and groom are required to
\neat a couple of roasted pigeons from the same plate. This implies
\nthat the married couple is required to follow the example of the
\nmale pigeon, which only mates with one female pigeon during its
\nlifespan.<\/p>\n
The traditional wedding garb show, which was meant to raise
\nfunds, provided an excellent introduction to the National Royal
\nPalace Festival, which is participated in by 15 sultanates and
\nkingdoms from all over the country. However, more professional
\nmanagement of the time schedule was badly needed. The show was
\nsupposed to start at 8:30 p.m. after a buffet diner, but it was
\nnot until 9:30 p.m. that the event was opened by the organizing
\ncommittee.<\/p>\n
Even though the show was interesting, most of the guests left
\nbefore it finished, following Mrs. Try Sutrisno, the wife of the
\nVice President Try Sutrisno, who left at 11 o'clock.<\/p>\n
This event was held by the Directorate General of Tourism of
\nthe Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications, in
\ncooperation with PT Mustika Ratu, a herbal cosmetic and medicine
\ncompany, and PT Arjuna Impresindo Perkasa, a promoter. (als)<\/p>",
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