Javnese traditions mark Tommy's wedding<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): After years of a public guessing game over who
\nwould be his wife, flamboyant businessman Hutomo Mandala Putra
\nfinally tied the knot on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
The bride chosen by President Soeharto's youngest son was
\nRaden Ajeng Ardhia Pramesti Regita Cahyani, nicknamed Tata, a
\nfair-skinned descendant of the Mangkunegaran royal family of
\nSurakarta, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Tommy's selection would no doubt have pleased his mother, the
\nlate Mrs. Tien Soeharto. A member of the Mangkunegaran family
\nherself, she had reportedly wished for her son to marry a woman
\nof noble birth.<\/p>\n
The wedding of the year at Sasono Langen Budoyo Hall in the
\nTaman Mini Indonesia Indah park in East Jakarta brought a crowd
\nof 3,500 dignitaries, including politicians taking time off from
\ntheir general election duties.<\/p>\n
The couple's siblings and close relatives were on hand for the
\nthree-hour-long ceremony. In attendance were Tommy's brothers
\nBambang Trihatmodjo and Sigit Hardjojudanto, and his sisters
\nTitiek Prabowo and Mamiek Pratikto. His eldest sister Siti
\nHardiyanti Rukmana, who is popularly known as Mbak Tutut,
\naccompanied her father.<\/p>\n
Red and green carpets decked the hall. A colorful blanket of
\njasmine, roses, orchids and other flowers covered the room.
\nThere was also the traditional janur bouquet of coconut leaves.<\/p>\n
The ceremony, a mix of the wedding traditions of the Surakarta
\nroyal court and Islamic tenets, began at 9 a.m. when the groom
\nrecited the ijab kabul wedding vow. Custom prohibits the bride
\nfrom attending this ritual. She was represented by her father,
\nBambang Adjie Surjosubandoro. Minister of Research and Technology
\nB.J. Habibie and Minister of National Development Planning
\nGinanjar Kartasasmita were witnesses for the groom.<\/p>\n
After the recitation of the wedding vow, the bride and the
\ngroom came together to perform a series of wedding rituals rich
\nin symbolism and philosophical tenets.<\/p>\n
The groom was bare-chested but his waist was wrapped in a band
\nof multiple layers of voluminous gold-trimmed batik, called
\nkampuhan. He also donned the traditional light-blue tubular hat
\nand long pantaloons. Befitting her lineage, Tata wore the
\nSurakarta wedding attire of dodot basahan Solo batik embellished
\nwith the special royal motif.<\/p>\n
\"Only noble family members may wear these wedding clothes,\"
\nsaid Tinuk Riefki, the bridal make-up artist. \"All the materials
\nare the collection of the Soeharto family.\"<\/p>\n
The rites were played out against the lilting tones of
\ntraditional Javanese music known as gending Ladrang Wilujeng.
\nThere followed the panggih, the meeting between the bride and the
\ngroom. Tommy and Tata tossed bunches of bethel leaves in an act
\nsymbolizing eternal love.<\/p>\n
As the music faded, the bride and the groom performed the
\nfoot-washing ritual. Tommy gently stepped on an egg, which
\nsymbolizes the beginning of a new life together. His wife
\nproceeded to tenderly wash his dirty foot. This ritual evinces
\nunconditional love and the loyalty of a wife to her husband and
\nfamily.<\/p>\n
Other rituals followed. The most moving was the sungkeman, in
\nwhich the bride and groom pay their respects to their parents.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto could hardly contain his emotion when his
\nson knelt before him and bowed his head.<\/p>\n
\"Tata and Tommy, be grateful for this blessing from God,\" a
\nproud Soeharto told the couple. \"Always be happy together and be
\nuseful to our nation and our religion.\"<\/p>\n
After this emotional event, the guests were entertained with a
\nspecial dance, the Puspito Retno, specially choreographed by
\nSulistyo Tirtokusumo for Tata. Performed by senior troupe
\nmembers, the dance was an homage to the beauty of the bride.<\/p>\n
Preparations for the wedding took around one month, beginning
\nsoon after the wedding date was officially announced in early
\nApril.<\/p>\n
Mooryati Soedibyo, owner of the Mustika Ratu cosmetics company
\nand a close relative of the Soeharto family, said many people
\nwere surprised by the announcement of the engagement.<\/p>\n
But Tommy's choice of his bride delighted everybody in the
\ncountry's first family, their close relatives and friends. \"It is
\na relief that Tommy finally found a bride from his own lineage,\"
\nsaid business tycoon Sukamdani Sahid Gitosardjono, who was
\nrelated to Mrs. Tien Soeharto.<\/p>\n
KGPAA Mangkunegoro IX, the head of the Mangkunegaran royal
\npalace, was quoted by a local magazine as saying, \"Tommy's
\nmarriage to Tata is an effort to reunite the \"separated bones\"
\namong the Mangkunegaran royalty.\"<\/p>\n
Tommy, head of the widely diversified Humpuss business group,
\nhas been in the media spotlight since one of his companies, PT
\nTimor Putra Nasional, was chosen to produce the country's first
\nnational car. His public and private activities have always
\nprovided delicious fodder to gossip mongers.<\/p>\n
Rumors<\/p>\n
He reportedly romanced a bevy of beautiful women during his
\ndays as Indonesia's most eligible bachelor. These included Maya
\nRumantir, model Tamara Blezinsky, MTV veejay Nadya Hutagalung and
\nactress Nia Zulkarnaen, all of whom denied the gossip linking
\nthem romantically to Tommy.<\/p>\n
\"Why do people always link me with Tommy?\" Tamara once
\ncomplained. \"I have never met him, let alone had any relationship
\nwith him.\"<\/p>\n
Singer Maya Rumantir, who has now assumed the role of an
\neducator and goodwill ambassador for a number of charitable
\ncauses, said she hoped the couple would enjoy a happy marriage.
\n\"I will pray for Tommy's happiness,\" Maya told a weekly magazine.<\/p>\n
Unlike the other high-profile women Tommy had been associated
\nwith, virtually nothing was known about Tata when news broke of
\nthe engagement.<\/p>\n
Press coverage of the demure but talented Tata has been almost
\nuniversally positive. The 1.7-meter Tata seems to conform to all
\nthe desired qualities of an aristocratic Javanese bride,
\npossessing noble blood, flawless public decorum and honorable
\nparents.<\/p>\n
People have noted a resemblance between Tata's facial features
\nand Tommy's mother when she was young.<\/p>\n
Born in Jakarta 22 years ago, Tata is described as an
\nindependent and sociable young woman. She was raised in
\nSingapore, where her father worked in a shipping company. She
\nstudied landscape architecture at the University of New South
\nWales in Sydney and is now involved in the renovation of a hotel
\nhere.<\/p>\n
The couple reportedly met in Australia last year but managed
\nto keep their whirlwind courtship a secret from the press.<\/p>\n
Tommy denied the marriage was arranged and said Tata was the
\nlove of his life. \"I adore her in many ways. That is why I chose
\nher to be my companion forever,\" Tommy told reporters after a
\nwedding rehearsal last weekend. Tata was equally enamored of her
\nnew husband. \"He is the nicest and gentlest man I have ever met.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/javnese-traditions-mark-tommys-wedding-1447893297",
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